Acute Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) During Cardiomyogenesis disrupts Transcriptional and Electrophysiological Profiles in Differentiated Myocytes

Abstract

The early developmental environment plays a critical role in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Exposure to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are linked to various CVDs, but effects of developmental PFAS exposures on the human heart remain unclear. Using human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM), the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of PFAS exposure during cardiac differentiation on gene expression and function of cardiomyocytes. We exposed two hiPSC lines (one male and one female donor) to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a common and ubiquitous PFAS (0.05, 0.5, 5, 50, 100, 150, 200 M), followed by assessment of cellular number and pluripotency marker expression. PFOA exposure for 72 hours had no significant effects on hiPSC pluripotency, and modest inhibition of proliferation was observed only at the highest concentration. hiPSCs were then differentiated into ventricular cardiomyocytes in the continued presence or absence of PFOA (0, 0.5, 5, 50 M) using an established small molecules protocol. Optical mapping studies using voltage and calcium-sensitive dyes revealed dose and cell line-specific effects of PFOA on cardiomyocyte voltage and calcium dynamics that were still present 10 days after cessation of exposure. Patch clamping studies demonstrated small but significant reductions in repolarizing IKr currents with 5{micro}M PFOA exposure in cardiomyocytes from both donors. Using RNA-seq, we found that exposure to PFOA led to significant changes in transcriptional pathways related to lipids and lipoproteins in the female hiPSC-CM. In the male hiPSC-CM, we observed significant effects on developmental pathways and calcium homeostasis. Thus, we found that environmentally relevant PFOA exposure during cardiomyocyte differentiation affects the electrophysiological properties and transcriptome of hiPSC-CM even after cessation of exposure, with effects that differ by donor cell line. These findings provide direct experimental evidence that transient developmental exposure to PFOA can durably reprogram human cardiomyocyte function, supporting a developmental origin of PFAS-associated cardiovascular risk. Impact StatementThese studies demonstrate that exposure to environmentally relevant levels of PFOA during the differentiation of hiPSCs into cardiomyocytes alters cardiac gene expression and function, with effects that persist beyond cessation of exposure.