Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is primarily caused by lethal heart disorders resulting in structural and arrhythmogenic abnormalities, is one of the prevalent modes of death in most developed countries. Myocardial ischemia, mainly due to coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease leading to SCD. However, postmortem diagnosis of SCD is frequently complicated by obscure histological evidence. Here, we show that certain mRNA species, namely those encoding hemoglobin A1/2 and B (Hba1/2 and Hbb, respectively) as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), exhibit distinct postmortem expression patterns in the left ventricular free wall of SCD subjects when compared with their expression patterns in the corresponding tissues from control subjects with non-cardiac causes of death. Hba1/2 and Hbb mRNA expression levels were higher in ischemic SCD cases with acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease without recent infarction, and even in cardiac death subjects without apparent pathological signs of heart injuries, than control subjects. By contrast, Pdk4 mRNA was expressed at lower levels in SCD subjects. In conclusion, we found that altered myocardial Hba1/2, Hbb, and Pdk4 mRNA expression patterns can be employed as molecular signatures of fatal cardiac dysfunction to forensically implicate SCD as the primary cause of death.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 241-247 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Molecules and Cells |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 Jan 1 |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Cite this
Postmortem mRNA expression patterns in left ventricular myocardial tissues and their implications for forensic diagnosis of sudden cardiac death. / Son, Gi Hoon; Park, Seong Hwan; Kim, Yunmi; Kim, Ji Yeon; Kim, Jin Wook; Chung, Sooyoung; Kim, Yu Hoon; Kim, Hyun; Hwang, Juck Joon; Seo, Joong Seok.
In: Molecules and Cells, Vol. 37, No. 3, 01.01.2014, p. 241-247.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Postmortem mRNA expression patterns in left ventricular myocardial tissues and their implications for forensic diagnosis of sudden cardiac death
AU - Son, Gi Hoon
AU - Park, Seong Hwan
AU - Kim, Yunmi
AU - Kim, Ji Yeon
AU - Kim, Jin Wook
AU - Chung, Sooyoung
AU - Kim, Yu Hoon
AU - Kim, Hyun
AU - Hwang, Juck Joon
AU - Seo, Joong Seok
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is primarily caused by lethal heart disorders resulting in structural and arrhythmogenic abnormalities, is one of the prevalent modes of death in most developed countries. Myocardial ischemia, mainly due to coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease leading to SCD. However, postmortem diagnosis of SCD is frequently complicated by obscure histological evidence. Here, we show that certain mRNA species, namely those encoding hemoglobin A1/2 and B (Hba1/2 and Hbb, respectively) as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), exhibit distinct postmortem expression patterns in the left ventricular free wall of SCD subjects when compared with their expression patterns in the corresponding tissues from control subjects with non-cardiac causes of death. Hba1/2 and Hbb mRNA expression levels were higher in ischemic SCD cases with acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease without recent infarction, and even in cardiac death subjects without apparent pathological signs of heart injuries, than control subjects. By contrast, Pdk4 mRNA was expressed at lower levels in SCD subjects. In conclusion, we found that altered myocardial Hba1/2, Hbb, and Pdk4 mRNA expression patterns can be employed as molecular signatures of fatal cardiac dysfunction to forensically implicate SCD as the primary cause of death.
AB - Sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is primarily caused by lethal heart disorders resulting in structural and arrhythmogenic abnormalities, is one of the prevalent modes of death in most developed countries. Myocardial ischemia, mainly due to coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease leading to SCD. However, postmortem diagnosis of SCD is frequently complicated by obscure histological evidence. Here, we show that certain mRNA species, namely those encoding hemoglobin A1/2 and B (Hba1/2 and Hbb, respectively) as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), exhibit distinct postmortem expression patterns in the left ventricular free wall of SCD subjects when compared with their expression patterns in the corresponding tissues from control subjects with non-cardiac causes of death. Hba1/2 and Hbb mRNA expression levels were higher in ischemic SCD cases with acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease without recent infarction, and even in cardiac death subjects without apparent pathological signs of heart injuries, than control subjects. By contrast, Pdk4 mRNA was expressed at lower levels in SCD subjects. In conclusion, we found that altered myocardial Hba1/2, Hbb, and Pdk4 mRNA expression patterns can be employed as molecular signatures of fatal cardiac dysfunction to forensically implicate SCD as the primary cause of death.
KW - Heart failure
KW - Hemoglobin
KW - Postmortem RNA expression
KW - Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase
KW - Sudden cardiac death
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901397662&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84901397662&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.14348/molcells.2014.2344
DO - 10.14348/molcells.2014.2344
M3 - Article
C2 - 24642708
AN - SCOPUS:84901397662
VL - 37
SP - 241
EP - 247
JO - Molecules and Cells
JF - Molecules and Cells
SN - 1016-8478
IS - 3
ER -