{"id":4595,"date":"2026-09-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T00:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:59:17","slug":"s41467-026-76956-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"Sec9-content\">\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec10\">Pluripotent stem cell tradition<\/h3>\n<p>The hiPSC strains (1) RUCDRi002-A, (2) optogenetic RUCDRi002-A-71, (3) UMGi093-A, (4) BIHi001-A-2 (5) MDCi052_A26 (R744del clone 1), (6) MDCi052_A27 (R744del clone 2), (7) MDCi052_A30 (G749A clone 1), and (8) MDCi052_A31 (G749A clone 2) have been maintained in StemMACS\u2122 iPS-Brew XF (Brew, Miltenyi, #130-104-368) containing 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin and 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin (Thermo Fisher, #15140-122). hiPSC have been indifferent and singularized utilizing EDTA answer (0.5\u2009M EDTA\/PBS) and replated on Matrigel (1:120, BD Bioscience, #354230) at a density of 8000\u201312,000 cells\/cm2, passaged twice weekly within the presence of ROCK inhibitor (Y-27632, 5\u2009\u03bcM, Stemgent, #04-0012).<\/p>\n<p>Technology of the GMP line LiPSC-GR1.1 (additionally known as TC1133 or RUCDRi002-A; lot quantity 50-001-21) was supported by the NIH Frequent Fund Regenerative Drugs Program, and reported in Stem Cell Reports83. The NIH Frequent Fund and the Nationwide Middle for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) are joint stewards of the LiPSC-GR1.1 useful resource. Repairon GmbH acquired and imported a vial of the TC1133 grasp cell financial institution, from which a Working Cell Financial institution (WCB) was created. myriamed GmbH acquired a spinoff of the WBC from Repairon GmbH and offered a non-GMP spinoff thereof to the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology on the College Medical Middle G\u00f6ttingen for non-commercial analysis use. The BIHi001-A-2 iPSC-line was kindly offered by Sebastian Diecke, Max Delbr\u00fcck Middle, Berlin.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec11\">Cardiomyocyte differentiation and purification<\/h3>\n<p>At a confluency of 80\u201390%, cells have been submitted to cardiac differentiation as beforehand reported17. D0-d3, cells have been supplemented each day with Mesoderm Induction Media (MIM: RPMI 1940 (Thermo Fisher, #61870-044), 2% B27 Complement with out insulin (Thermo Fisher, #A1895601), 200\u2009\u00b5M <span class=\"u-small-caps\">L<\/span>-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate (Sigma, #A8960) and 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin, 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin (Thermo Fisher, #15070063)) containing 9\u2009ng\/mL Activin A (R&amp;D methods, #338-AC), 5\u2009ng\/mL BMP4 (R&amp;D methods, #314-BP), 1\u2009\u00b5M CHIR99021 (Stemgent, #04-0004), and 5\u2009ng\/mL bFGF (Miltenyi Biotech, #130-093-841). D3-d13, the cells have been cultured in Basal Serum Free Medium (BSFM: RPMI 1940 (Thermo Fisher, #61870-044), 2% B27 Complement (Thermo Fisher, #17504-044), 200\u2009\u00b5M <span class=\"u-small-caps\">L<\/span>-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate, and 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin, 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin) supplemented with 5\u2009\u00b5M IWP4 (Stemgent, #04-0036) and d13-d17, cells have been cultured in unsupplemented BSFM, which was modified each different day. For metabolic choice, CMs have been cultured in RPMI with out glucose and glutamine (Thermo Fisher, #11879020) containing 2.2\u2009mM sodium lactate (Sigma, #71723), 100\u2009\u00b5M \u03b2-mercaptoethanol (Invitrogen, #31350-010), and 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin, 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin) for five days.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec12\">EHM era<\/h3>\n<p>EHM have been generated as beforehand described17. CM and human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) have been mixed at an 80:20 ratio and embedded in a pH-neutralized (pH 7.2\u20137.4) bovine collagen matrix (Collagen Options, #CS028; last focus 1\u2009mg\/mL) ready in RPMI 1640 (Thermo Fisher, #51800-035). A complete of 450\u2009\u00b5L of the cell\u2013collagen suspension was forged into EHM tissue molds and allowed to polymerize for 1\u2009h at 37\u2009\u00b0C. Polymerized constructs have been overlaid with basal EHM medium consisting of IMDM (Thermo Fisher, #31980-022), 4% B27 Complement with out Insulin (Thermo Fisher, #A1895601), 1% MEM Non-Important Amino Acids (Thermo Fisher, #11140-035), 300\u2009\u00b5M L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate, 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin, 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin, 100\u2009ng\/mL IGF-1 (Peprotech, #AF-100-11), 10\u2009ng\/mL FGF-2 (Peprotech, #AF-100-18B), and 5\u2009ng\/mL VEGF-165 (Peprotech, #AF-100-20), supplemented with 5\u2009ng\/mL TGF\u03b21 (Peprotech, #AF-100-21C). For the primary three days, EHM medium containing TGF\u03b21 was replenished each day. On day 4, constructs have been transferred to versatile holders and subsequently maintained in basal EHM medium with out TGF\u03b21, which was exchanged each different day till fusion with the SNO.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec13\">BENO and SNO era<\/h3>\n<p>BENO have been generated as beforehand described14. SNO differentiation was based mostly on the BENO protocol and was optimized by testing concentrations and therapy home windows for morphogens BMP4, WNT and retinoic acid. Briefly, hiPSCs have been dissociated utilizing EDTA answer and resuspended in iPSC-Brew containing 10\u2009\u03bcM ROCK inhibitor (Y-27632, Stemgent, #04-0012) and 20\u2009ng\/mL bFGF (Miltenyi Biotech, #130-093-841). A beginning cell depend of two.5\u2009\u00d7\u2009105 per organoid was used for SNO era. The cell suspension was added to a pH-neutralized (pH 7.2\u20137.4) combination of two-fold concentrated Dulbecco\u2019s Modified Eagle\u2019s Medium (Thermo Fischer, 12100-061) and bovine collagen (Collagen Options, #CS028, 50\u2009\u00b5g per organoid). A casting quantity of fifty\u2009\u00b5l per properly was transferred into low-adhesion U-bottom 96-well plates (Sarstedt, #83.1837.500) and left to polymerize for 30\u2009min at 37\u2009\u00b0C. Then, the organoids have been lined with 250\u2009\u00b5l of iPSC-Brew containing 10\u2009\u03bcM ROCK inhibitor and 10\u2009ng\/mL bFGF. Within the following three days, SNO have been supplemented with Basal Medium (Neurobasal A medium (Thermo Fisher, #10888-022), 2% B27 Complement, 1% N2 -Complement (Invitrogen, #17502-048), 200\u2009\u00b5M L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate sesquimagnesium salt hydrate, and 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin, 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin) containing 10\u2009\u00b5M DAPT (Tocris, #2634), 100\u2009nM LDN193189 (Sigma-Aldrich, #SML0559), 10\u2009\u00b5M SB 431542 (Tocris, #1614), and three\u2009\u00b5M CHIR99021. D3, the organoids have been transferred into 6-well plates (max. 8 organoids\/properly) and maintained with 5\u2009mL of the beforehand described medium per properly, which was replenished each different day. From this level till day 5, SNO have been moreover supplemented with 100\u2009nM retinoic acid (Merck, #R4643) and 10\u2009ng\/mL BMP4 (R&amp;D Techniques, #314-BP). Then, SNO medium was modified to Basal Medium containing solely 100\u2009nM retinoic acid and 10\u2009ng\/mL BMP4. From d10-d15, SNO have been cultured in Basal Medium containing 5\u2009ng\/mL TGF\u03b21 (Peprotech, #AF-100-21C), 10\u2009ng\/mL bFGF (Miltenyi- Biotech, #130-093-841) and 10\u2009ng\/mL BMP4. After this part, the organoids have been supplemented with Basal medium containing 5\u2009ng\/mL TGF\u03b21 and a pair of.5\u2009\u00b5M DAPT for neuronal differentiation and maturation. From day 28 ahead, SNO have been sustained with Basal Medium till additional evaluation. Between d3 and d30, the tissues compact because of traction forces generated by increasing cell populations84.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec14\">iEHM era<\/h3>\n<p>In week 4 of maturation, EHM have been fused with d40 SNO by putting the SNO within the heart of the muscle ring. From this level ahead, the iEHM have been supplemented with a 1:1 combination of Basal medium and EHM medium. After 3-5 days, SNO began adhering to the EHM, and after two weeks, the tissues totally fused at their factors of contact. The iEHMs have been cultured on this medium for 6-8 weeks previous to evaluation.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec15\">Immunofluorescent staining of 2D cells<\/h3>\n<p>Cells on glass coverslips have been fastened by incubating with 4% formaldehyde answer (Histofix, Carlroth) for 15\u2009min at RT. The formaldehyde was eliminated, and the cells have been washed thrice with PBS. Previous to staining, the cells have been permeabilized utilizing Buffer A (PBS, 3\u2009g\/L Triton-X-100, 2\u2009g\/L BSA) for 10\u2009min at RT and unspecific binding was blocked utilizing Buffer B (PBS, 1\u2009g\/L Triton-X-100, 5\u2009g\/L BSA) for one hour at RT. Subsequently, the first antibodies have been utilized in Buffer C (PBS, 1\u2009g\/L Triton-X-100, 1\u2009g\/L BSA) at 4\u2009\u00b0C in a single day. Subsequent, the cells have been washed 3 instances with PBS and incubated with the secondary antibodies in Buffer C for one hour at RT. This and all the next steps have been carried out in the dead of night. After this, the coverslips have been washed thrice utilizing PBS, after which nuclear staining was utilized (1\u2009\u03bcg\/ml Hoechst 33342 (Sigma) in PBS) for 10\u2009min at RT. Lastly, the cells have been washed thrice with PBS, adopted by one washing step utilizing water. Coverslips have been inverted and mounted on glass slides utilizing Mowiol mounting medium (10% Fluoromount Mowiol 4\u201388 (Carlroth, #0713.1), 25% Glycerol (Merck-Millipore, #56-81-5), 0.1\u2009M Tris (ITW Reagents, #A1086), 0.2% n-propyl gallate (Sigma-Aldrich, #P3130)). An antibody checklist with respective dilutions is offered in Supplementary Desk\u00a02.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec16\">Complete-mount immunofluorescence staining (WmIF)<\/h3>\n<p>Tissues have been fastened with 4% formaldehyde answer (Histofix, Carl Roth) for two\u2009h at 4\u2009\u00b0C. Subsequently, they have been washed twice with PBS and blocked for 30\u2009min at 4\u2009\u00b0C with staining buffer (StB; 5% FBS, 1% BSA, 0.5% Triton X-100 in PBS). Tissues have been incubated with main antibodies diluted in StB for two days at 4\u2009\u00b0C (100\u2009\u00b5l\/tissue). Upon washing with StB for six\u20138\u2009h, tissues have been incubated with secondary antibodies and Hoechst 33342 (Sigma) for one more 2 days at 4\u2009\u00b0C. After StB washings for a complete of 6\u20138\u2009h, BENOs have been mounted on glass coverslips with Mowiol mounting medium (10% Fluoromount Mowiol 4-88 (Carlroth, #0713.1), 25% Glycerol (Merck-Millipore, #56-81-5), 0.1\u2009M Tris (ITW Reagents, #A1086), 0.2% n-propyl gallate (Sigma-Aldrich, #P3130)). WmIF was visualized utilizing confocal imaging carried out on a Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope geared up with 10x and 63x goals with ZEN 2010 software program and additional analyzed by ZEN and ImageJ. Nonlinear adjustment by modest gamma stretching in ZEN 2010 was utilized in photographs to cut back the background in tissues. Floor and quantity rendering of photographs have been used to generate Supplementary Films\u00a02\u20137. An antibody checklist with respective dilutions is offered in Supplementary Desk\u00a02.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec17\">Orientation evaluation of axons and vessels in iEHM<\/h3>\n<p>A convolutional neural community (U-Net85) to detect binary masks of vasculature (marked by PECAM1) and axons (labeled by NF) from confocal microscopy photographs was used. For this evaluation, every of the 6\u201310 photographs from random areas of three iEHM was analyzed (25 photographs complete). For each vasculature and axons, neural community fashions have been educated with expert-annotated photographs of a separate knowledge set (utilizing a mixed BCE-Cube loss, 50 epochs, studying price 1e-3). The expected binary masks of vasculature and axons have been skeletonized, and a progressive probabilistic line Hough transform86 for spatially resolved orientation evaluation was utilized. Then, the distribution of orientation angles for each vasculature and axons was analyzed. To quantify their correlation, the Pearson correlation coefficient R based mostly on the histogram counts was calculated. Code is offered within the Code availability part.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec18\">Tissue digestion and stream cytometry<\/h3>\n<p>For SNO and BENO digestion, d15 organoids have been sequentially incubated for one hour with collagenase answer (PBS +Ca\/Mg, 0.25% Collagenase Sort I (Sigma-Aldrich, #C0130), 20% FBS (Thermo Fisher, #A4766801)) and Accutase dissociation reagent (97% StemPro\u00ae Accutase\u00ae Cell Dissociation Reagent (Merck-Millipore, #SCR005), 0.025% Trypsin (Thermo Fisher, #15090-046), 20\u2009\u03bcg\/mL DNaseI (Calbiochem, #260913). The digested cells have been fastened in 4% formaldehyde at room temperature (RT) for 15\u2009min and subsequently labeled with anti-PHOX2B main antibody (Santa Cruz, #sc-376997, 1:250) and Hoechst 33342 in StB for 45\u2009min at 4\u2009\u00b0C. To take away the first antibody, the cells have been centrifuged at 3000\u2009x\u2009g, the supernatant was discarded, and the cells have been resuspended and incubated in StB for 5 minutes at 4\u2009\u00b0C. This step was repeated thrice. Subsequently, cells have been incubated with secondary antibody Alexa Fluor 488 (Invitrogen, #A32723, 1:1000) for 30\u2009min at 4\u2009\u00b0C below the exclusion of sunshine. Following one other 3\u2009\u00d7\u20095\u2009min washing step, the cells have been analyzed utilizing a BD LSR II stream cytometer (BD Biosciences) and FACSDiva (BD Biosciences) in addition to FLOWJO software program.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec19\">Liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS\/MS)<\/h3>\n<p>SNO have been lysed in 500\u2009\u00b5l precipitating brokers (80% acetonitrile and 20% water), together with noradrenaline-d6, choline-d9 and buformin as inside requirements for NA, acetylcholine, and dopamine, respectively. Following 15 min incubation at RT, 400\u2009\u00b5L of the liquid part was evaporated below a nitrogen stream. The residues have been reconstituted in 400\u2009\u00b5l of 0.1% (v\/v) formic acid, and 10\u2009\u00b5l have been injected into the LC-MS\/MS system. NA, dopamine, and acetylcholine (ACh) content material of SNO have been analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)\u2009\u2212\u2009MS\/MS utilizing a Shimadzu Nexera HPLC system with a LC-30AD pump, a SIL-30AC autosampler, a CTO-20AC column oven, and a CBM20A controller (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). Separation was achieved on an Imtakt-Intrada Amino Acids Separation Column, 100\u2009\u00d7\u20093.0\u2009mm (ChromTech-, #WAA34) with a C-18 guard pre-column. The HPLC was run at a low velocity of 600\u2009\u00b5L\/min with an oven temperature of 37\u2009\u00b0C. The cell part consisted of 29.85% 200\u2009mM ammonium formate, 0.15% (v\/v) formic acid and 70% (v\/v) methanol. The HPLC system was coupled to an API 4000 tandem mass spectrometer (SCIEX, Darmstadt, Germany). Buformin (inside commonplace), NA-d6 (inside commonplace), and choline-d9 (inside commonplace) have been quantified utilizing the detection parameters given (Supplementary Desk\u00a03). Evaluation was carried out utilizing the Analyst software program (model 1.6.2, SCIEX, Darmstadt, Germany) and commonplace curves obtained by weighted linear regression. Consultant spectra and commonplace curves are offered in Supplementary Fig.\u00a05.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec20\">Quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR<\/h3>\n<p>Whole RNA was extracted utilizing the NucleoSpin RNA Mini package (Macherey Nagel, #740955). 250\u2009ng to 1\u2009\u00b5g of RNA have been reverse transcribed utilizing M-MLV Reverse transcriptase (Promega, #M1705) and oligo(dT) primer. qRT-PCR was carried out utilizing Takyon Blue dTTP Grasp Combine (Eurogentec, #UF-NSMT-B0701). The primer sequences have been designed utilizing NCBI Primer Blast and span an exon-exon junction. The primer checklist is offered in Supplementary Desk\u00a04. Primers have been ordered from Microsynth AG (G\u00f6ttingen, Germany). Evaluation was carried out by the 7900HT Actual Time PCR System (Utilized Biosystems) and the Sequence Detection System (SDS) v2.4 software program (Utilized Biosystems). Transcript expression was normalized to GAPDH ranges. When completely different cardiomyocyte-specific transcripts have been evaluated, TNNT2 was used for normalization to exclude variability attributable to differentiation effectivity between cell strains in Supplementary Fig.\u00a019.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec21\">Calcium imaging<\/h3>\n<p>The iEHM have been stained with 1\u2009\u00b5g\/ml Fluo-8-AM (Abcam, #ab142773) in carbogenated synthetic cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) buffer (26\u2009mM NaHCO3, 10\u2009mM Glucose, 1\u2009mM MgSO4\u00b77H2O, 1.25\u2009mM NaH2PO4, 2.5\u2009mM KCl, 126\u2009mM NaCl, 2\u2009mM CaCl2) at pH 7.3 for 15-30\u2009min. Throughout calcium imaging, iEHM have been repeatedly perfused with ACSF at 37\u2009\u00b0C. Fluorescence was recorded at 2\u20135\u2009Hz, and measurements have been carried out utilizing a Zeiss LSM 780 confocal microscope and ZEN 2010 software program. The stimulation of ACh to muscarinic receptors was blocked by the addition of 100\u2009nM atropine (Sigma Aldrich, #A0257). Within the presence of atropine, 30\u2009\u00b5M nicotine (Simga Aldrich, #N1019)\u00a0was used to stimulate nicotinic receptors on autonomic neurons. \u03b2-adrenoreceptor blockade was achieved by including 1\u2009\u00b5M propranolol\u00a0(Sigma Aldrich, #P0884). Evaluation was carried out utilizing MATLAB R2012a (The MathWorks, USA).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec22\">Power of contraction evaluation<\/h3>\n<p>Isometric power measurements of EHM \/ iEHM have been carried out in an organ bathtub setup as described previously17. EHM and iEHM have been mounted on two opposing hooks and submerged in regular Tyrode\u2019s answer (120\u2009mM NaCl, 5.36\u2009mM KCl, 0.2\u2009mM CaCl2, 10.5\u2009mM MgCl2, 22.61\u2009mM NaHCO3, 4.2\u2009mM NaH2PO4, 5.55\u2009mM Glucose, 0.57\u2009mM L-Ascorbic Acid) at 37\u2009\u00b0C with a steady stream of carbogen from beneath. Power adjustments have been measured by a linear isometric power transducer mounted to the higher hook. The basal rigidity of the tissues was adjusted to 0.1 mN utilizing a micromanipulator. On both aspect, a area electrode was positioned for electrical pacing of the tissues.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec23\">Voltage imaging of 2D CMs<\/h3>\n<p>CMs have been dissociated utilizing Accutase, replated on Matrigel-coated (1:120) glass cowl slips at 1.042\u2009\u00d7\u2009104 cells\/cm2, and cultured for five\u20137 days to normalize. The coverslips have been washed twice with Tyrode\u2019s answer (120\u2009mM NaCl, 5.36\u2009mM KCl, 2.0\u2009mM CaCl2, 10.5\u2009mM MgCl2, 22.61\u2009mM NaHCO3, 4.2\u2009mM NaH2PO4, 5.55\u2009mM Glucose, 0.57 mM L-Ascorbic Acid). After that, the cells have been stained utilizing the FluoVolt\u2122 Membrane dye and PowerLoad\u2122 focus (Invitrogen, F10488) diluted in Tyrode\u2019s answer based on the producer\u2019s directions at RT for 15\u2009min. After that, the cells have been washed twice after which lined with Tyrode\u2019s answer. Imaging was carried out utilizing the Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope with a 63x oil goal and the ZEN 2010 software program at 37\u2009\u00b0C below exterior pacing at 0.5\u2009Hz (18\u2009mA, 5\u2009ms pulse length). Voltage profiles have been analyzed utilizing the line-scan mode (512 pixels, 45\u2009\u03bcm, 1057.7\u2009Hz, 20,000 cycles). The traces have been extracted utilizing ImageJ and smoothed utilizing the Savitzky-Golay polynomial smoothing algorithm (quartic filter, size: 101). APs have been interpreted utilizing LabChart (ADInstruments) and the Peak Evaluation Device.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec24\">Electrical area potential measurements by multielectrode-array (MEA)<\/h3>\n<p>SNO have been embedded in 3% low melting agarose and sectioned utilizing Leica VT1000S vibratome (Leica) into slices of 400\u2009\u00b5m diameter. SNO slices have been mounted on Lumos MEA 48-well plates (Axion BioSystems, #M768-tMEA-480PT) coated with 1:30 Matrigel. Gold grids for transmission electron microscopy (Gilder, #G50HEX-G3) have been used to stabilize the tissue. The measurements {of electrical} area potentials have been carried out by Maestro Professional (Axion BioSystems) at 37\u2009\u00b0C and 5% CO2. The Lumos system (Axion BioSystems) enabled optogenetic stimulation of the organoids by delivering a pentaphasic mild pulse with a central wavelength of 612\u2009nm and an depth of 1.54\u2009mW\/mm2 each two minutes for one hour. Stimulation experiments have been carried out by the addition of accelerating concentrations (1\u2009\u00b5M-1\u2009mM) of nicotine diluted in pre-warmed Basal medium, whereas the added quantity by no means exceeded 5 p.c of the properly\u2019s media quantity. Evaluation was carried out by the Neural Metrics and Plotting Device software program (Axion BioSystems).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec25\">Single-nuclei RNA sequencing<\/h3>\n<p>Nuclei have been remoted from snap frozen iEHM by a protocol tailored from Sakib et al87. In short, 500\u2009\u00b5L EZ prep nuclei lysis buffer (Sigma, #NUC101) was added to the frozen samples, and dounce homogenized for 40\u201360 strokes (till no huge tissue chunks have been seen) utilizing a plastic pestle in a 1.5\u2009mL DNA low-binding tube. Lysates have been transferred right into a 2\u2009mL DNA low-binding tube and diluted to 2\u2009mL by the addition of lysis buffer. Samples have been incubated for five\u2009min on ice and centrifuged at 500\u2009x\u2009g for five\u2009min at 4\u2009\u00b0C. Supernatants have been discarded, the nuclei pellets have been resuspended in 2\u2009mL lysis buffer, and incubated on ice for five\u2009min. After centrifugation (500\u2009x\u2009g, 5\u2009min, 4\u2009\u00b0C), the pellet was resuspended in Nuclei Suspension buffer (NSB). NSB was ready by the addition of 0.5% OmniPur BSA (Merck Millipore, #2905), 1:200 RNasin\u00ae Ribonuclease Inhibitor (Promega, #N2615), 1x cOmplete\u2122, EDTA-free Protease Inhibitor Cocktail (Roche, #04693132001) in 1x PBS (RNAse free, Invitrogen, #AM9624) and filtered by means of 0.22\u2009\u00b5m Syringe Filter Unit (Millipore, #SLGVR33RB). Upon resuspension, the pattern was centrifuged at 500\u2009x\u2009g, 5\u2009min at 4\u2009\u00b0C, and resuspended in 500\u2009\u00b5L NSB. The lysate was strained by means of 40\u2009\u00b5M Flowmi\u00ae Cell Strainers (Sigma, #BAH136800040) right into a FACS tube. To discriminate nuclei from particles, 7-AAD (Invitrogen, #00-6993-50) nuclei staining answer (1:500) was added to the pattern (Supplementary Fig.\u00a08), which was sorted by a BD FACSaria III with 85\u2009\u00b5M Nozzle, right into a 15\u2009mL Falcon tube, coated with and containing 1\u2009mL NSB. Round 200,000 nuclei have been sorted per pattern. Sorted iEHM nuclei have been instantly processed for single nuclei barcoding utilizing 10X Genomics Chromium Single Cell 3\u2019 Reagent Kits (v3 Chemistry). 5000 nuclei have been subjected to GEM era and barcoding utilizing Chromium Controller, based on the producer\u2019s protocol. For cDNA amplification, 14 PCR cycles have been used. Listed cDNA libraries have been pooled right into a single pool and sequenced 4 instances in Illumina NextSeq 550 to attain &gt;50,000 reads\/nuclei. Uncooked BCL recordsdata have been demultiplexed, mapped, and depend recordsdata have been generated utilizing cellranger-4.0.0, utilizing hg38 pre-mRNA reference genome.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec26\">Single-nuclei RNA-sequencing knowledge evaluation<\/h3>\n<p>Cell Ranger (10x Genomics) was used for demultiplexing, alignment and era of gene counts. The dataset was filtered to take away nuclei the place lower than 200 genes have been detected, in addition to genes that have been expressed in lower than 10 nuclei. Any nuclei expressing greater than 1% mitochondrial gene counts have been additionally eliminated. The information have been normalized utilizing the sctransform88 package deal (model 0.3.2) from the Seurat89 (model 4.0.2) toolkit in R (model 4.0.1). DoubletFinder90 (model 2.0.3) was used to detect and take away any potential doublets. Leiden clustering91 was carried out utilizing the FindClusters() perform in Seurat, and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP)92 was used for visualization of clusters. The highest markers for every cluster have been detected utilizing the FindAllMarkers() perform in Seurat. Cell-type annotation of clusters was executed utilizing the expression of chosen marker genes as listed in Supplementary Fig.\u00a09. The identical evaluation pipeline was adopted for separate analyses of particular cell clusters after subsetting the unique dataset accordingly.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec27\">RNA extraction, library preparation, and bulk RNA-sequencing<\/h3>\n<p>RNA from iEHM and EHM\/SNO was harvested utilizing the Promega ReliaPrep RNA Tissue Miniprep system and was cleaned with the RNA Clear &amp; Concentrator. 500\u2009ng of complete RNA was used for the development of sequencing libraries. RNA high quality was assessed by measuring the RNA Integrity Quantity (RIN) utilizing the Fragment Analyzer HS Whole RNA Package (DNF-472-FR; Agilent Applied sciences). Library preparation was carried out utilizing the STAR Hamilton NGS automation platform, making use of the Illumina Stranded mRNA Prep Package (Cat. No. 20040534) and the IDT for Illumina RNA UD Indexes Set A, Ligation with 96 Indexes (Cat. No. 20091646), ranging from 200\u2009ng of complete RNA. The dimensions vary of the ultimate cDNA libraries was decided utilizing the SS NGS Fragment 1\u20136000\u2009bp Package on the Fragment Analyzer, yielding a median fragment measurement of 340\u2009bp. Correct library quantification was carried out with the DeNovix DS-Collection System. Libraries have been sequenced on the NovaSeq 6000 utilizing an S2 stream cell (100 cycles), producing roughly 20\u201325 million reads per pattern.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec28\">Learn alignment and quantification<\/h3>\n<p>Excessive-quality reads have been aligned to the Homo sapiens reference genome (GRCh38.p13, Ensembl) utilizing the STAR aligner93. Gene-level quantification was carried out with FeatureCounts (Subread v1.6.3). The ensuing depend matrices have been imported into the R\/Bioconductor surroundings for differential expression evaluation.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec29\">Normalization and differential expression evaluation<\/h3>\n<p>Gene-level counts have been analyzed utilizing DESeq2 in R (v4.3.2)94. Genes equivalent to mitochondrial (MT-) and ribosomal (RPL-, RPS-) transcripts have been eliminated previous to normalization, and genes with fewer than two complete counts throughout all samples have been filtered out. Samples have been assigned to 2 experimental teams (SNO\u2009+\u2009EHM and iEHM), and outliers recognized by high quality evaluation have been excluded. Differential expression between teams was modeled with a damaging binomial generalized linear mannequin. Shrinkage of log2 fold adjustments was utilized utilizing the apeglm algorithm95. Genes have been categorized as considerably differentially expressed in the event that they confirmed an adjusted P worth\u2009&lt;\u20090.05 (Benjamini\u2013Hochberg correction) and an absolute log2 fold change\u2009&gt;\u2009190. For Supplementary Fig.\u00a017, chosen expression knowledge have been normalized to a cardiomyocyte-enriched reference gene to mirror adjustments inside the cardiomyocyte compartment slightly than throughout the entire mixed-tissue pattern. Along with CASQ2, corresponding knowledge normalized to a standard housekeeping gene discovered to be stably expressed amongst iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (DDB1)96 are additionally proven.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec30\">Information visualization and practical interpretation<\/h3>\n<p>All analyses have been carried out in R utilizing the next core packages: DESeq2, ggplot2, ggrepel, and ComplexHeatmap. Volcano plots have been generated with ggplot297 and ggrepel to visualise log\u2082 fold adjustments in opposition to \u2013log\u2081\u2080 adjusted P values. Thresholds have been indicated at |log2 FC|\u2009=\u20091 and adjusted P\u2009=\u20090.05, and the highest up- and downregulated genes have been annotated. Normalized counts have been reworked utilizing the variance-stabilizing transformation (VST) in DESeq2 to acquire homoscedastic expression values appropriate for clustering and visualization. To discover gene expression patterns inside biologically related pathways, chosen genes have been grouped into 4 practical classes\u2014metabolic, hypertrophy-associated, immune, and cardiac\u2014based mostly on literature proof. Heatmaps have been generated utilizing ComplexHeatmap98 with hierarchical clustering utilized to each genes and samples. Annotation bars denoted experimental teams and practical classes, and auxiliary panels represented log2 fold change and \u2013log10 FDR values.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec31\">Clustering and practical enrichment analyses<\/h3>\n<p>Variance-stabilized gene expression values obtained from DESeq2 have been subjected to unsupervised clustering to determine coordinated expression modules. The highest 500 most variable genes have been chosen based mostly on row variance, scaled (Z-score), and decreased by way of principal part evaluation (PCA). Genes have been then grouped into three expression clusters (ok\u2009=\u20093) utilizing k-means clustering, defining transcriptional modules with shared variance construction throughout iEHM and SNO\u2009+\u2009EHM samples. Every gene cluster was subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment evaluation utilizing the clusterProfiler package99 with the org.Hs.eg.db annotation database. Each Organic Course of (BP) and Mobile Element (CC) ontologies have been examined utilizing the Benjamini\u2013Hochberg correction (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.05, q\u2009&lt;\u20090.2). Probably the most enriched phrases per cluster have been visualized utilizing bar and dot plots, highlighting distinct practical signatures throughout expression modules. To additional contextualize practical patterns, Reactome pathway enrichment was carried out with the Reactome PA package100. Pathways with adjusted P values\u2009&lt;\u20090.05 have been retained, and outcomes have been visualized by way of dot plots and cnet plots to show gene\u2013pathway relationships. For network-level visualization, protein\u2013protein interplay (PPI) networks have been reconstructed for every expression cluster utilizing the STRING database (v11.5)101. Gene symbols have been mapped to STRING identifiers, and interplay networks have been exported as high-resolution vector graphics, enabling visualization of key molecular hubs and connectivity patterns inside every transcriptional module.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec32\">Statistical evaluation<\/h3>\n<p>Statistical testing was carried out in GraphPad Prism 9. All values are displayed as imply\u2009\u00b1\u2009s.e.m. Statistical exams have been chosen relying on the parametricity of the pattern distribution, which was decided by the Shapiro-Wilk and F-test. The respective exams in addition to pattern measurement (n) and variety of unbiased experiments (N) are talked about within the determine legends. Statistically vital variations have been assumed with a chance worth of P\u2009\u2264\u20090.05. Actual P-values are given within the determine.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"c-article__sub-heading\" id=\"Sec33\">Reporting abstract<\/h3>\n<p>Additional info on analysis design is offered within the\u00a0Nature Portfolio Reporting Abstract linked to this text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-026-76956-9\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pluripotent stem cell tradition The hiPSC strains (1) RUCDRi002-A, (2) optogenetic RUCDRi002-A-71, (3) UMGi093-A, (4) BIHi001-A-2 (5) MDCi052_A26 (R744del clone 1), (6) MDCi052_A27 (R744del clone 2), (7) MDCi052_A30 (G749A clone 1), and (8) MDCi052_A31 (G749A clone 2) have been maintained in StemMACS\u2122 iPS-Brew XF (Brew, Miltenyi, #130-104-368) containing 100\u2009U\/mL penicillin and 100\u2009\u00b5g\/mL streptomycin (Thermo Fisher, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","fifu_image_alt":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4749,2493,4747,186,4744,4748,105,4745,2683,4746],"class_list":["post-4595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biotechnology","tag-arrhythmias","tag-cardiac","tag-drivers","tag-human","tag-innervated","tag-kcnh2associated","tag-model","tag-muscle","tag-reveals","tag-sympathetic"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias - Future News 24<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate contractility. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. The study introduces innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), as a 3D model to investigate neuro-cardiac communication at structural, molecular, and functional levels.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias - Future News 24\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate contractility. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. 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Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. The study introduces innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), as a 3D model to investigate neuro-cardiac communication at structural, molecular, and functional levels.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/02\\\/s41467-026-76956-9\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/02\\\/s41467-026-76956-9\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/02\\\/s41467-026-76956-9\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.springernature.com\\\/m685\\\/springer-static\\\/image\\\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\\\/MediaObjects\\\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.springernature.com\\\/m685\\\/springer-static\\\/image\\\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\\\/MediaObjects\\\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/02\\\/s41467-026-76956-9\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Future News 24\",\"description\":\"The Smart Hub for AI and Next-Gen Innovation\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Future News 24\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fn24-favicon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fn24-favicon.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"Future News 24\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cecad1bde21cfc357cf70128144d6c83\",\"name\":\"Future News 24\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Future News 24\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/futurenews24.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/mridulpahuja20\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias - Future News 24","description":"Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate contractility. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. The study introduces innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), as a 3D model to investigate neuro-cardiac communication at structural, molecular, and functional levels.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias - Future News 24","og_description":"Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate contractility. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. The study introduces innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), as a 3D model to investigate neuro-cardiac communication at structural, molecular, and functional levels.","og_url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/","og_site_name":"Future News 24","article_published_time":"2026-09-02T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-03T00:59:17+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Future News 24","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Future News 24","Est. reading time":"20 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/"},"author":{"name":"Future News 24","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cecad1bde21cfc357cf70128144d6c83"},"headline":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias","datePublished":"2026-09-02T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T00:59:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/"},"wordCount":4115,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","keywords":["arrhythmias","CARDiac","drivers","Human","Innervated","KCNH2associated","Model","muscle","reveals","sympathetic"],"articleSection":["BioTechnology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/","url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/","name":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias - Future News 24","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","datePublished":"2026-09-02T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-03T00:59:17+00:00","description":"Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate contractility. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can cause sympathetic overdrive, leading to heart failure, and fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusing sympathetic neuronal organoids (SNO) and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and to the extensive vascular network co-developing in iEHM. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functional neuro-cardiac junctions. Modeling long-QT 2 in iEHM revealed sympathetic neuron hyperactivity and after depolarizations, underscoring a central role for sympathetic drive in KCNH2-associated arrhythmias. &#946;-adrenoreceptor blockade was insufficient to rescue the pro-arrhythmic phenotype, while mexiletine targeting both neurons and cardiomyocytes, proved to be more effective. Collectively, our data establishes iEHM as a New Approach Methodology that provides a human-relevant, physiologically integrated model for mechanistic investigations and pharmacological testing. Cardiac autonomic neurons regulate cardiac contractility, and their dysregulation contributes to heart failure and a higher risk of fatal arrhythmias. The study introduces innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), as a 3D model to investigate neuro-cardiac communication at structural, molecular, and functional levels.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.springernature.com\/m685\/springer-static\/image\/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-026-76956-9\/MediaObjects\/41467_2026_76956_Fig1_HTML.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/02\/s41467-026-76956-9\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Innervated human cardiac muscle mannequin reveals sympathetic drivers of KCNH2-associated arrhythmias"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/","name":"Future News 24","description":"The Smart Hub for AI and Next-Gen Innovation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#organization","name":"Future News 24","url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fn24-favicon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fn24-favicon.png","width":250,"height":250,"caption":"Future News 24"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cecad1bde21cfc357cf70128144d6c83","name":"Future News 24","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d57f07142d73cb5503ab2446ea7bc9ef3d0a5ba378d64a6157692311e42bf097?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Future News 24"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/futurenews24.com"],"url":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/author\/mridulpahuja20\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4595"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4596,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4595\/revisions\/4596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurenews24.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}