Differential mRNA Expression and Circular RNA-Based Competitive Endogenous RNA Networks in the Three Stages of Heart Failure in Transverse Aortic Constriction Mice

BACKGROUND: The murine transverse aortic constriction (TAC) model is frequently used to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure. However, limited data is available regarding the expression of mRNAs and circRNAs in murine heart failure progression induced by pressure overload. METHODS: Transverse aortic constriction was used to induce pressure overload for 2, 4, and 8 weeks in mice. Echocardiographic measurements in B-mode and M-mode, as well as blood flow Doppler data were collected in mice without (sham) and with (2W-, 4W-, and 8W-post-TAC) pressure load. Hearts were excised and morphology, cardiomyocyte size, and fibrosis were determined. RNA sequencing, circRNA microarray, functional mRNA enrichment analysis, hub gene identification, target miRNA interaction, and competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network construction were conducted. RESULTS: Heart weight, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and fibrosis gradually increased over time in the hearts with pressure overload. The 2W-post-TAC hearts displayed concentric hypertrophy, thickened left ventricular walls, and increased EF and FS. The 4W-post-TAC hearts were characterized by preserved EF and FS, dilated atria, and increased left ventricle (LV) systolic volume. The 8W-post-TAC hearts presented with ventricular and atrial dilation, increased LV systolic and diastolic volume, reduced EF and FS, and increased ejection time (MV ET). mRNA expression analysis suggested that cardiac remodeling, immune response dysregulation, and metabolic disorder were the key cellular events in heart failure progression. Depression in chemotaxis and mitochondrial function were predicted in 4W- and 8W-post-TAC myocardia, respectively. A ceRNA network analysis demonstrated that the circRNAs targeted the expression of genes enriched in metabolism dysregulation in the 2W-post-TAC hypertrophic hearts, while they targeted genes enriched in cardiac remodeling in the 4W-post-TAC EF-preserved hearts and in the suppression of oxidative phosphorylation and cardiac contraction in the 8W-post-TAC EF-reduced hearts. CONCLUSION: Our work empirically demonstrates that distinctive features of heart failure, including ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure with preserved EF (HFpEF), and heart failure with reduced EF (HFrEF) are present in the murine pressure overload models. The three stages of heart failure vary in terms of mRNA and circRNA expression, as well as ceRNA regulation in a manner consistent with their structural, functional, and pathological differences.