Vezf1 regulates cardiac structure and contractile function

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial zinc finger 1 (Vezf1) is a transcription factor previously shown to regulate vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. We aimed to investigate the role of Vezf1 in the postnatal heart. METHODS: The role of Vezf1 in regulating cardiac growth and contractile function was studied in zebrafish and in primary cardiomyocytes. FINDINGS: transient kinetics. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicates that Vezf1 regulates cardiac muscle contraction and dilated cardiomyopathy related genes and we identify cardiomyocyte Myh7/β-MHC as key target for Vezf1. We further identify a key role for an MCAT binding site in the Myh7 promoter regulating the response to Vezf1 knockdown and show that TEAD-1 is a binding partner of Vezf1. INTERPRETATION: We demonstrate a role for Vezf1 in regulation of compensatory cardiac growth and cardiomyocyte contractile function, which may be relevant in human cardiac disease.