Mitral valve leaflet response to ischemic mitral regurgitation: From gene expression to tissue remodeling

Rationale: Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is frequently observed following myocardial infarction (MI) and is associated with higher mortality and poor clinical prognosis if left untreated. Accumulating evidence suggests that mitral valve (MV) leaflets actively remodel post-MI, yet the cellular mechanisms underlying these responses and how this affects tissue function remain largely unknown. Objective: We sought to elucidate MV remodeling post-MI at the tissue, cellular, and transcriptomic levels. Methods and Results: The mechanical behavior of ovine MV leaflets pre-MI and 8 weeks post-MI reveal a significant decrease in radial direction extensibility, which essentially eliminated the mechanical anisotropy typically observed in healthy MVs. Quantitative histology and ultrastructural assessment by transmission electron microscopy revealed altered leaflet composition and architecture at 8 weeks post-MI. Assessment of the MV interstitial cell (MVIC) nuclear aspect ratio, a metric of cellular deformation, revealed that MVICs were on average rounder following MI. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) indicated that YAP-induced genes were elevated at 4 weeks post-MI and genes related to extracellular matrix organization were some of the most downregulated in sheep with IMR compared to sheep without IMR at 4 weeks post-MI. Additionally, RNA-seq revealed the possible recruitment of immune cells in this remodeling process due to the drastic elevation of CXCL9 and CLEC10A. Conclusions: This multiscale assessment revealed significant mechanical and microstructural changes due to MI. RNA-seq provided a baseline for global gene expression changes in response to MI with and without IMR and suggests YAP-induced mechanotransduction, altered expression of ECM-related genes, and recruitment of immune cells as mechanisms contributing to altered MV biomechanics post-MI. Conclusions: This multiscale assessment revealed significant mechanical and microstructural changes due to MI. RNA-seq provided a baseline for global gene expression changes in response to MI with and without IMR and suggests YAP-induced mechanotransduction, altered expression of ECM-related genes, and recruitment of immune cells as mechanisms contributing to altered MV biomechanics post-MI. Leaflets from 13 animals (pre-MI, n=3; 4 weeks post-MI, n=5; 8 weeks post-MI, n=4) were used for RNA isolation and quantification. Half of the animals at 4 and 8 weeks post-MI exhibited low-grade IMR, with the other half exhibiting no observable IMR. No animals exhibited IMR at the pre-MI time point.