How can a protein involved in energy-production prevent heart damage?

The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier and myocardial adaptation to stress

BHF-funded researchers at Queen Mary University of London are investigating how to protect stressed hearts against heart failure. In some situations, the heart can become stressed, for example during and after a heart attack or in people with high blood pressure. This can change the structure of the heart, limiting its ability to pump blood efficiently around the body. This can lead to heart failure - a debilitating condition affecting an increasing number of people. Effective treatments for heart failure are lacking and it’s crucial that new therapies are identified. Healthy heart muscle cells use fatty acids as the major fuel source to power the heart’s pumping action. But when the heart is stressed, the cells switch their fuel source to sugar. This is more efficient in times of stress, but could contribute to the changes that lead to heart failure. The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) is a protein involved in energy-generation in heart cells. Professor Eaton and team have shown that the MPC influences the heart’s chosen fuel source and that, at higher levels, it could protect against damaging structural changes when the heart is stressed. In this project, the team will alter the levels of MPC in mice to further investigate its role and effects. In the future, they hope that medicines that boost the levels of MPC in stressed hearts could help to protect more people from life-threatening heart failure.