Cardiomyocyte β-adrenoceptors (β-ARs) coupled to soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)-dependent production of the second messenger 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) have been shown to protect from heart failure. However, the exact localization of these receptors to fine membrane structures and subcellular compartmentation of β-AR/cGMP signals underpinning this protection in health and disease remain elusive. Here, we used a Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based cGMP biosensor combined with scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) to show that functional β-ARs are mostly confined to the T-tubules of healthy rat cardiomyocytes. Heart failure, induced via myocardial infarction, causes a decrease of the cGMP levels generated by these receptors and a change of subcellular cGMP compartmentation. Furthermore, attenuated cGMP signals led to impaired phosphodiesterase two dependent negative cGMP-to-cAMP cross-talk. In conclusion, topographic and functional reorganization of the β-AR/cGMP signalosome happens in heart failure and should be considered when designing new therapies acting via this receptor.
Schobesberger, S., Wright, P. T., Poulet, C., Sanchez Alonso Mardones, J. L., Mansfield, C., Friebe, A., Harding, S. E., Balligand, J.-L., Nikolaev, V. O., & Gorelik, J. (2020). β-Adrenoceptor redistribution impairs NO/cGMP/PDE2 signalling in failing cardiomyocytes. eLife, 9, e52221 [1-15]. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.52221 (Original work published 2020)