%0 Generic
%A Varma, Eshita
%C Heidelberg
%D 2023
%F heidok:32662
%R 10.11588/heidok.00032662
%T mRNA Binding Proteins in the Heart
%U https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/32662/
%X Cardiac diseases result in altered protein and gene expression levels due to altered signal transduction pathways. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are an emerging group of post-transcriptional regulators that control RNA between protein and RNA levels. Analysing the role of RNA binding proteins in cardiac dysfunction would be vital in understanding the coordination of multiple post-transcriptional events during such diseases. However, the specific role of RBPs in controlling protein expression in the diseased myocardium is still not completely understood. Ribosomal sequencing and RNA sequencing was used to identify mTOR-dependent and translationally regulated transcripts in response to TAC surgery. Ybx-1 showed up to be one RNA binding protein that is upregulated only during pathological hypertrophy in our screen. Experiments in isolated cardiomyocytes in vitro showed that Ybx-1 depletion prevents cellular growth by inhibiting protein translation. Furthermore, Ybx-1 expression depends on mTOR signalling and is independent of mRNA transcription. Ybx-1 knockdown in vivo preserves heart function during pathological cardiac hypertrophy. eEF2 mRNA was identified as a potential mRNA that binds to Ybx-1 and is upregulated during cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac hypertrophy involves upregulation of protein synthesis, and elongation factors such as eEF2 regulate it. Identifying the crosstalk between Ybx-1 and eEF2 can help understand how these factors contribute to cardiac dysfunction.