Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Dysautonomia Due To Reduced Cholinergic Neurotransmission Causes Cardiac Remodeling And Heart Failure, Aline Lara, Denis D. Damasceno, Rita Pires, Robert Gros, Eneas R. Gomes, Mariana Gavioli, Ricardo F. Lima, Diogo Guimaraes, Patricia Lima, Carlos Roberto Bueno Jr., Anilton Vasconcelos, Danilo Roman-Campos, Cristiane A. S. Menezes, Raquel A. Sirvente, Vera M. Salemi, Charles Mady, Marc G. Caron, Anderson J. Ferreira, Patricia C. Brum, Rodrigo R. Resende, Jader S. Cruz, Marcus Vinicius Gomez, Vania F. Prado, Alvair P. De Almeida, Marco A. M. Prado, Silvia Guatimosim

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Overwhelming evidence supports the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in heart failure. In contrast, much less is known about the role of failing cholinergic neurotransmission in cardiac disease. By using a unique genetically modified mouse line with reduced expression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and consequently decreased release of acetylcholine, we investigated the consequences of altered cholinergic tone for cardiac function. M-mode echocardiography, hemodynamic experiments, analysis of isolated perfused hearts, and measurements of cardiomyocyte contraction indicated that VAChT mutant mice have decreased left ventricle function associated with altered calcium handling. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase …