Cited by 182Cardiovascular Effects of ExerciseCardiomyopathy and Myosin StudiesCardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias

Central role for GSK3β in the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

Open access
Chelko, Stephen P., Asimaki, Angeliki, Andersen, Peter, Bedja, Djahida, Amat-Alarcon, Nuria, DeMazumder, Deeptankar, Jasti, Ravirasmi, MacRae, Calum A. +4 more·2016·JCI Insight

Abstract

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by redistribution of junctional proteins, arrhythmias, and progressive myocardial injury. We previously reported that SB216763 (SB2), annotated as a GSK3β inhibitor, reverses disease phenotypes in a zebrafish model of ACM. Here, we show that SB2 prevents myocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction in vivo in two murine models of ACM at baseline and in response to exercise. SB2-treated mice with desmosome mutations showed improvements in ventricular ectopy and myocardial fibrosis/inflammation as compared with vehicle-treated (Veh-treated) mice. GSK3β inhibition improved left ventricle function and survival in sedentary and exercised Dsg2 mut/mut mice compared with Veh-treated Dsg2 mut/mut mice and normalized intercalated disc (ID) protein distribution in both mutant mice. GSK3β showed diffuse cytoplasmic localization in control myocytes but ID redistribution in ACM mice. Identical GSK3β redistribution is present in ACM patient myocardium but not in normal hearts or other cardiomyopathies. SB2 reduced total GSK3β protein levels but not phosphorylated Ser 9–GSK3β in ACM mice. Constitutively active GSK3β worsens ACM in mutant mice, while GSK3β shRNA silencing in ACM cardiomyocytes prevents abnormal ID protein distribution. These results highlight a central role for GSKβ in the complex phenotype of ACM and provide further evidence that pharmacologic GSKβ inhibition improves cardiomyopathies due to desmosome mutations.

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Crossref · 10.1172/jci.insight.85923

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  • The germline Dsg2mut/mut mouse model exhibits progressive myocardial inflammation, fibrotic remodeling, and ventricular dysfunction and arrhythmias.

    “This model exhibits progressive myocardial inflammation, fibrotic remodeling, and ventricular dysfunction and arrhythmias.”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [60]

    The Results section on murine Dsg2 targeting reports cardiomyopathy by 8 weeks and extensive biventricular fibrosis by 16 weeks. The Results section on SB2 treatment reports reduced ventricular function and increased ventricular ectopy in Dsg2mut/mut mice. Myocardial inflammation is reported specifically in exercised mice, however, and the paper does not establish that inflammation itself is progressive. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Findings from the germline Dsg2mut/mut model demonstrate that myocardial inflammation arises intrinsically due to the presence of a desmosomal mutation, rather than solely from infiltrative immune cells, supporting the concept that inflammation is a primary driver of disease progression and an emerging therapeutic target in ACM.

    “findings from this model demonstrate that myocardial inflammation arises intrinsically (i.e., from cardiomyocytes) due to the presence of a desmosomal mutation, rather than solely from infiltrative immune cells, supporting the concept that inflammation is a primary driver of disease progression and an emerging therapeutic target in ACM.”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [60]

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  • GSK3β localization at the intercalated disc was observed in ACM hearts, in contrast to giant cell myocarditis and cardiac sarcoidosis where GSK3β localization was predominantly cytoplasmic.

    “Uniquely, GSK3β localization at the intercalated disc (ID) was observed in ACM hearts. This finding was in stark contrast to other inflammatory heart diseases, such as giant cell myocarditis and cardiac sarcoidosis, where GSK3β localization was predominantly cytoplasmic [60].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [60]

    The Results section reports GSK3β at myocyte intercalated discs in all 20 ACM hearts examined, but not in giant cell myocarditis or cardiac sarcoidosis. It describes diffuse cytoplasmic localization and/or punctate bodies in sarcoidosis; it does not specify that localization was predominantly cytoplasmic in giant cell myocarditis. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Aberrant GSK3β activity in ACM is linked to deleterious activation of NFκB.

    “Aberrant GSK3β activity in ACM is also linked to the deleterious activation of NFκB [11,12,60].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [60]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) links aberrant GSK3β signaling to ACM pathogenesis. But neither that passage nor the Results passages retrieved for NFκB describe NFκB activation or link it to GSK3β, so the specific pathway attributed to this paper is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Suppression of Wnt and overactivation of NFκB drive pro-inflammatory, adipogenic, and fibrotic gene expression programs.

    “Together, the suppression of Wnt and overactivation of NFκB drive pro-inflammatory, adipogenic, and fibrotic gene expression programs [60].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [60]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) reports reduced canonical Wnt signaling in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, and the Results report inflammation in a mouse model. But the paper does not establish NFκB overactivation or show that the two pathways drive the claimed pro-inflammatory, adipogenic, and fibrotic gene-expression programs. The Discussion cautions that upstream signaling pathways were not extensively studied. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Chelko, S. P., Asimaki, A., Andersen, P., Bedja, D., Amat-Alarcon, N., DeMazumder, D., Jasti, R., MacRae, C. A., Leber, R., Kleber, A. G., Saffitz, J. E., & Judge, D. P.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
  • Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • Schiller AG, Research and Development, Baar, Switzerland.
  • Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Corresponding author
  • Saffitz, Jeffrey E.
  • Judge, Daniel P.
Venue
JCI Insight
Published
2016-04-21
Volume
1
Issue
5
ISSN
2379-3708 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2341491381
Cited by
180
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 2
FWCI
11.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JCI Insight (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • American Heart Association
  • University of Miami
  • Hartwell Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health (R24OD017870)
  • Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (RC1HL100110, K99HL130662, R01HL102361)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias
Keywords
arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, GSK3β, SB216763, GSK-3β inhibition, desmoglein 2, ventricular ectopy, myocardial fibrosis, exercise-induced cardiomyopathy, cardiac dysfunction, zebrafish model, mouse model, cardiomyocyte injury

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