# Elucidating Molecular Mechanisms of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy using Nano-Engineered Synthetic Myosin Thick Filaments

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $37,510

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in people under 30.
Clinically, HCM is characterized by hyper-contractility and a thickened ventricular wall with severity that directly
depends on the ratio of mutant to wild type protein expression, a concept known as allelic imbalance. HCM is
most commonly associated with mutations in genes encoding the sarcomeric proteins β-cardiac myosin and
cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C). β-cardiac myosin is a motor protein that assembles into thick
filaments and coverts chemical energy from ATP into a mechanical force-generating lever arm swing required
for muscle contraction. cMyBP-C is a long multi-modular structural protein that is thought to inhibit the actin-
myosin interaction and mitigate the effects of calcium, regulating muscle contraction. While it is clear that β-
cardiac myosin and cMyBP-C are crucial for normal sarcomeric function, it is less clear how mutations in these
proteins produce the severe hyper-contractile phenotype seen in HCM.
The central goal of this training proposal is assess the impacts of HCM mutations on sarcomeric interactions
and the overall ensemble phenotype. Despite the identification of over 700 HCM mutations in β-cardiac myosin
and cMyBP-C combined, there has been little success in linking genotype to disease phenotype. Due to
mechanistic uncertainty, no small molecule therapies for HCM exist and treatment remains palliative.
The difficulty in characterizing HCM can be partially attributed to lack of available technologies to study these
highly organized proteins on the sarcomeric level. Single-molecule studies do not account for inter-motor
interference in the motor ensemble and existing in-vitro assays are limited by variability and heterogeneity of
the motility surface. The Sivaramakrishnan lab has therefore developed and obtained preliminary data
documenting the utility of a DNA nanotube scaffold as a synthetic thick filament. Myosin and cMyBP-C can be
patterned onto the DNA nanotube at precise intervals, recapitulating the native sarcomeric interactions.
I propose to use DNA nanotube technology to test my central hypothesis through two aims. First, I will
determine the impact of allelic imbalance on the overall ensemble phenotype by patterning varying ratios of
HCM mutant and wild type onto a nanotube. Second, I will use the synthetic thick filament to dissect the
contributions of cMyBP-C interactions and altered calcium effects in the hypercontractile phenotype of HCM.
The findings from these experiments will substantially contribute to our understanding of how genotype
translates to HCM phenotype, and will aid in the development of targeted pharmaceuticals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9884530
- **Project number:** 5F30HL146089-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Anja Touma
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $37,510
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-18 → 2023-02-17

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9884530

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9884530, Elucidating Molecular Mechanisms of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy using Nano-Engineered Synthetic Myosin Thick Filaments (5F30HL146089-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9884530. Licensed CC0.

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