Leaky RyR2 channels as pro-arrhythmic trigger in the PKP2-deficient atrial myocardium

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): American Heart Association National Institutes of Health Introduction Atrial arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation, occur in 20–40% of patients with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Atrial fibrillation in ARVC patients is often associated with an increased risk of sustained ventricular arrhythmias and inappropriate ICD shocks. However, the pathophysiology behind the development of atrial arrhythmias in ARVC is far from clear. A genome-wide association study, based on UK-biobank data, revealed a link between atrial fibrillation and variants in the desmosomal gene plakophilin-2 (PKP2). Previous studies show that PKP2 is necessary to maintain the transcription of genes that control intracellular calcium (Ca2+) cycling and that loss of PKP2 expression in adult mouse ventricular tissue leads to disruption of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. In this study, we test the hypothesis that loss of PKP2 expression leads to pro-arrhythmic changes in atrial myocytes. Methods Experiments were carried out using a cardiac-specific, tamoxifen (TAM)-activated PKP2 knockout murine model (PKP2-cKO). Cre-negative, flox-positive, TAM-injected littermates were used as controls. We used RNA sequencing, quantitative imaging modalities, as well as biochemical and electrophysiological methods to study the functional and structural properties of atrial PKP2cKO tissue. Studies were carried out 21 days post-tamoxifen injection, a time point at which an arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy of right ventricular predominance is manifest. Results In contrast to the previously-reported observations in PKP2cKO ventricular myocytes, atrial PKP2cKO myocytes presented no significant differences in Ca2+ transient dynamics, SR load and action potential duration. However, PKP2cKO atrial myocytes showed an increased frequency and amplitude of Ca2+ sparks, in combination with increased diastolic Ca2+ levels as well as an increase in cellular ROS levels. RNAseq data showed an under-representation of mRNA for Integrinα7, a stabilizer of Ryr2 that reduces its phosphorylation. Separate studies showed that PKP2cKO atrial myocytes present impaired relaxation and enhanced sarcomere shortening, a finding consistent with a downregulation in the expression of Myosin Binding Protein C. Isoproterenol (ISO) exposure further increased the frequency of Ca2+ sparks and the levels of diastolic Ca2+, and these effects were reversed by acute (30 minute) in vivo treatment with Ryanodex (medical grade Dantrolene), a known RyR blocker. Conclusion Loss of PKP2 expression affects cellular Ca2+ handling and electrophysiology differently in the atrial versus ventricular myocardium. We speculate that an increased probability of opening of Ryr2 channels, caused by ROS-induced RyR2 oxidation and/or Integrinα7-induced RyR2 phosphorylation, serve as pro-arrhythmic trigger in the PKP2-deficient atrial myocardium, that these effects can be amplified by a catecholaminergic input and that RyR blockers can dampen these pro-arrhythmic effects.