Abstract
Recently identified as adiponectin (APN) paralogs, C1q/TNF-related proteins (CTRPs) share similar metabolic regulatory functions as APN. The current study determined cardiac expression of CTRPs, their potential cardioprotective function, and investigated whether and how diabetes may regulate cardiac CTRP expression. Several CTRPs are expressed in the heart at levels significantly greater than APN. Most notably, cardiac expression of CTRP9, the closest paralog of APN, exceeds APN by >100-fold. Cardiac CTRP9 expression was significantly reduced in high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice. In H9c2 cells, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) strongly inhibited CTRP9 expression (>60%), and significantly reduced peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), a known transcription factor promoting adiponectin expression. The inhibitory effect of TNF-α on PPARγ and CTRP9 was reversed by Tiron or rosiglitazone. CTRP9 knockdown significantly enhanced, whereas CTRP9 overexpression significantly attenuated simulated ischemia/reperfusion injury in H9c2 cells. In vivo CTRP9 administration to diabetic mice significantly attenuated NADPH oxidase expression and superoxide generation, reduced infarct size, and improved cardiac function. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing evidence that downregulation of CTRP9, an abundantly expressed and novel cell survival molecule in the heart, by TNF-α-initiated oxidative PPARγ suppression contributes to exacerbated diabetic cardiac injury. Preservation of CTRP9 expression or augmentation of CTRP9-initiated signaling mechanisms may be the potential avenues for ameliorating ischemic diabetic cardiac injury.