A Biphasic Role for the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Scn5lab
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A BIPHASIC ROLE FOR THE VOLTAGE-GATED SODIUM CHANNEL SCN5LAB IN CARDIAC DEVELOPMENT OF ZEBRAFISH By Jeffrey Scott Bennett Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Human Genetics August, 2013 Nashville, TN Approved: H. Scott Baldwin, M.D. Dan Roden, M.D. Al George, M.D. Doug Mortlock, Ph.D. Charles Hong, M.D., Ph.D. To those who came before me, on whose shoulders I stand, and Amanda, on whose shoulders I lean. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the assistance and support of many people and departments throughout the Vanderbilt community. I’d like to particularly thank Terry Dermody, and the leaders and administration of the Medical Scientist Training Program for years of support and encouragement, as well as the Graduate Program in Human Genetics, for providing me an academic home for these years. So much of my academic success, present and future, is owed to the many people who got me to where I am today, and prepared me for tomorrow. My career never could have gotten started without the unfailing support of my mentor, Dan Roden. I am blessed to have been welcomed into a laboratory which truly values science and discovery, and given all I needed to be put in a position to succeed. I hope my future success reflects upon the training and commitment I received from him. Additionally, much of the assistance after I first joined lab, as well as my knowledge of developmental biology and the zebrafish model system comes from Dina Myers Stroud, who graciously served as a day‐ to‐day mentor, teaching skills and techniques I would use over the rest of my career. I’d also like to thank the members of my thesis committee, Al George, Charles Hong, Doug Mortlock, and the chair, Scott Baldwin. Their interest in my research and career are reflected heavily in my thesis. Leaving each committee meeting inspired and enthusiastic about my project was always encouraging, and their thoughtfulness helped shape my dissertation research, as well as my knowledge of genetics. Much collaboration has made my life easier, and facilitated many of the findings below. Jason Becker and the members of his laboratory provided a great amount of advice and reagents, and served as a valuable co‐author in the publication of many findings here. The laboratories of Josh Gamse, Charles Hong, and Jason Jessen in particular, as well as the entire zebrafish community unfailingly provided iii reagents, facilities, expertise and advice. I’d like to also thank the Vanderbilt zebrafish core, led by Amanda Goodrich, for their dedication to the care and health of our research model. This work was supported in part by Public Health Service award T32 GM07347 from the National Institute of General Medical Studies for the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program. Experiments were performed in part through the use of the VUMC Cell Imaging Shared Resource (supported by NIH grants CA68485, DK20593, DK58404, HD15052, DK59637 and EY08126). Lastly, I’d like to thank the loved ones who inspired and pushed me along the way. My parents Wayne and Roberta always inspired me to seek answers to my questions, and instilled in me a drive and value for academic success. Amanda, my beautiful wife, partner‐in‐crime, and confidante, provided love and support throughout all the ups and downs of graduate training. None of this would have been possible without the three of them, their love, and their guidance. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 1 Ions in Human Physiology .................................................................................................. 1 Ion homeostasis and human disease .................................................................... 1 Excitable membranes in human cardiac biology .................................................. 5 Evolution and Structure of Voltage‐Gated Sodium Channels .......................................... 10 Voltage‐gated sodium channel genes: homology, and conservation ................. 10 Structure and function of cell biology of the sodium channel ........................... 17 Phenotypes resulting from disruption of cardiac NaV1.5 function .................................. 23 Human phenotypes arising from SCN5A mutations ........................................... 23 Mouse models of NaV1.5 loss‐of‐function ......................................................... 27 Knockdown of scn5Laa and scn5Lab in zebrafish ............................................... 28 II. GENETIC PHENOTYPES OF LOSS OF SCN5LAB ........................................................................ 32 Introduction: Genetics of heart development in zebrafish .............................................. 32 Induction of pre‐cardiac mesoderm in gastrulation ........................................... 32 Specification of the ALPM ................................................................................... 35 Differentiation of myocardium ........................................................................... 37 Second heart field ............................................................................................... 39 Question ........................................................................................................................... 40 Methods .............................................................................................................. 41 Morpholinos ........................................................................................................ 41 Zebrafish Strains and Animal Care ...................................................................... 41 Qualitative RT‐PCR of nkx2.5 .............................................................................. 42 In situ hybridization ............................................................................................ 43 Injection of nkx2.5 mRNA ................................................................................... 43 Exposure to Wnt and Bmp modulating agents ................................................... 43 Generation of pc‐globin‐HA, pcGlobin‐scn5Lab constructs ................................ 44 Generation of Tg(hsp70l:scn5Lab, cmlc2:gfp) zebrafish ..................................... 44 Results .............................................................................................................................. 45 Rescue efforts: scn5Lab mRNA injection, inducible scn5Lab transgenics .......... 45 Phenotype from scn5La knockdown is likely not a result of non‐specific effects of morpholino .................................................................................................... 47 Knockdown of scn5Lab inhibits expression of nkx2.5, but not nkx2.7 ............... 50 v Modulation of Wnt and BMP signaling in morphant embryos ........................... 52 Later gene expression unaffected in morphant embryos .................................. 55 Secondary heart field genes ............................................................................... 56 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 58 Embryos deficient in scn5Lab exhibit preferential ALPM loss of nkx2.5 ............ 58 Identification of genetic pathways involving scn5La .......................................... 59 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 61 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 61 III. ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF VGSCs DURING CARDIAC DEVELOPMENT .................................... 63 Introduction: Electrophysiology and Development of the Zebrafish Heart ..................... 63 Zebrafish as a model in the study of cardiac electrophysiology ......................... 63 Electrophysiology of the zebrafish heart ............................................................ 63 Zebrafish mutations affecting cardiac rate and rhythm ..................................... 65 Zebrafish mutations affecting myocardial calcium handling in the heart .......... 66 Voltage‐gated sodium channels in heart development ...................................... 69 Question .............................................................................................................. 70 Methods ........................................................................................................................... 70 Zebrafish lines ....................................................................................................