Differential Regulation of mTOR Complexes with miR-302a Attenuates Myocardial Reperfusion Injury in Diabetes

SUMMARY Persistent activation of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) in diabetes increases the vulnerability of the heart to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We show here that infusion of rapamycin (mTOR inhibitor) at reperfusion following ischemia reduced myocardial infarct size and apoptosis with restoration of cardiac-function in Type 1 diabetic rabbits. Likewise, treatment with rapamycin protected hyperglycemic human pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (HG-hiPSC-CMs) following simulated ischemia (SI) and reoxygenation (RO). Phosphorylation of S6 (mTORC1 marker) was increased, while AKT phosphorylation (mTORC2 marker) and microRNA-302a were reduced with concomitant increase of its target PTEN following I/R injury in diabetic heart and HG-hiPSC-CMs. Rapamycin inhibited mTORC1 and PTEN, but augmented mTORC2 with restoration of miRNA-302a under diabetic conditions. Inhibition of miRNA-302a blocked mTORC2 and abolished rapamycin-induced protection against SI/RO injury in HG-hiPSC-CMs. We conclude that rapamycin attenuates reperfusion injury in diabetic heart through inhibition of PTEN and mTORC1 with restoration of miR-302a-mTORC2 signaling.