TitleCardiomyocyte orientation recovery at micrometer scale reveals long-axis fiber continuum in heart walls.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsDileep D, Syed TA, Sloan TFw, Dhandapany PS, Siddiqi K, Sirajuddin M
JournalEMBO J
Volume42
Issue19
Paginatione113288
Date Published2023 Oct 04
ISSN1460-2075
KeywordsAnimals, Heart Ventricles, Mammals, Mice, Myocytes, Cardiac
Abstract

Coordinated cardiomyocyte contraction drives the mammalian heart to beat and circulate blood. No consensus model of cardiomyocyte geometrical arrangement exists, due to the limited spatial resolution of whole heart imaging methods and the piecemeal nature of studies based on histological sections. By combining microscopy and computer vision, we produced the first-ever three-dimensional cardiomyocyte orientation reconstruction across mouse ventricular walls at the micrometer scale, representing a gain of three orders of magnitude in spatial resolution. We recovered a cardiomyocyte arrangement aligned to the long-axis direction of the outer ventricular walls. This cellular network lies in a thin shell and forms a continuum with longitudinally arranged cardiomyocytes in the inner walls, with a complex geometry at the apex. Our reconstruction methods can be applied at fine spatial scales to further understanding of heart wall electrical function and mechanics, and set the stage for the study of micron-scale fiber remodeling in heart disease.

DOI10.15252/embj.2022113288
Alternate JournalEMBO J
PubMed ID37671467
PubMed Central IDPMC10548172
Grant List / WT_ / Wellcome Trust / United Kingdom
15SDG23250005 / AHA / American Heart Association-American Stroke Association / United States
IA/I/14/2/501533 / WTDBT_ / DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance / India
IA/I/16/1/502367 / WTDBT_ / DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance / India