Atrial TRPM2 Channel-Mediated Ca2+ Influx Regulates ANP Secretion and Protects Against Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy and Fibrosis.

Transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel is a Ca2+-permeable, redox-activated cardiac ion channel protective in ischemia-reperfusion, but whether it regulates atrial endocrine output under stress is unclear. Here, we investigated whether TRPM2 contributes to the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) response during β-adrenergic stimulation. We compared how male C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and TRPM2 knockout (TRPM2-/-) mice (8-12 weeks old) respond to β-adrenergic stress induced by isoproterenol (ISO) using echocardiography, histology, RT-PCR, electrophysiology, Ca2+ imaging, ELISA, and atrial RNA-seq. We detected abundant Trpm2 transcripts in WT atria and measured ADP-ribose (ADPr)-evoked currents and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced Ca2+ influx characteristic of TRPM2; these were absent in TRPM2-/- cells. Under the ISO-induced hypertrophic model, TRPM2-/- mice developed greater cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and systolic dysfunction compared with WT mice. Atrial bulk RNA-seq showed significant induction of Nppa (ANP precursor gene) in WT + ISO, accompanied by higher circulating ANP; TRPM2-/- + ISO showed blunted Nppa and ANP responses. ISO-treated TRPM2-/- mice exhibited more blunt responses, in both Nppa transcripts and circulating ANP levels. Exogenous ANP attenuated ISO-induced dysfunction, hypertrophy, and fibrosis in TRPM2-/- mice, suggesting that TRPM2 is needed for the cardioprotective endocrine response via ANP to control stress-induced β-adrenergic remodeling.