Zebrafishhhatlais involved in cardiac hypertrophy

Cardiac hypertrophy is a compensatory response to pathological stimuli, ultimately progresses to cardiomyopathy, heart failure, or sudden death. Although many signaling pathways have been reported to be involved in the hypertrophic process, it is still not fully clear about the underlying molecular mechanisms for cardiac hypertrophy. Hedgehog acyltransferase-like (Hhatl), a sarcoplasmic reticulum-resident protein, exhibits high expression in the heart and muscle. However, the biological role of Hhatl in the heart remains unknown. In this study, we first found that the expression level of Hhatl is markedly decreased in cardiac hypertrophy. We further studied the role ofhhatla, homolog ofHhatlwith the zebrafish model. The depletion ofhhatlain zebrafish leads to cardiac defects, as well as an enhanced level of hypertrophic markers. Besides, we found that calcineurin signaling participates inhhatladepletion-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Together, these results demonstrate a critical role forhhatlain cardiac hypertrophy.

Automated summary

Cardiac hypertrophy is a compensatory response to pathological stimuli that may progress to cardiomyopathy, heart failure, or sudden death. The decreased expression of Hhatl in the heart is associated with cardiac hypertrophy, as demonstrated by the depletion of Hhatl leading to cardiac defects and enhanced hypertrophic markers in zebrafish. Calcineurin signaling is implicated in Hhatl depletion-induced cardiac hypertrophy.