Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Congestive heart failure is the final common pathway of diverse etiologies that result in impaired systolic and diastolic function, deleterious activation of neurohumoral pathways, and high morbidity and mortality. Many studies published in 1995 significantly added to our understanding of the pathophysiologies of heart failure at the cellular level. Because a common accompaniment to all forms of low output heart failure are hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction of the cardiomyocyte, applications of the techniques of molecular and cell biology to animal models that demonstrate this phenomenon are providing new insights into the mechanisms responsible for this important clinical problem. In the past year, critical information was derived from animal models that mimic human cardiac hypertrophy and failure. Likewise, genetically engineered mice in which a gene product of interest is overexpressed or eliminated provided critical information, in particular regarding the roles of phospholamban and beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 in mediating the contractile responses of the heart to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Furthermore, study of human myocardial tissue from patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy continues to provide insight into the diverse etiologies of heart failure. The recent applications of the techniques of molecular and cell biology to this clinical problem are likely to accelerate our understanding of the complex mechanisms responsible for this syndrome.
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PMID:The cellular pathophysiology of progression to heart failure. 883 65

The beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 (beta ARK1) is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) family that mediates the agonist-dependent phosphorylation and desensitization of G protein-coupled receptors. We have cloned and disrupted the beta ARK1 gene in mice by homologous recombination. No homozygote beta ARK1-/- embryos survive beyond gestational day 15.5. Prior to gestational day 15.5, beta ARK1-/- embryos display pronounced hypoplasia of the ventricular myocardium essentially identical to the "thin myocardium syndrome" observed upon gene inactivation of several transcription factors (RXR alpha, N-myc, TEF-1, WT-1). Lethality in beta ARK1-/- embryos is likely due to heart failure as they exhibit a > 70% decrease in cardiac ejection fraction determined by direct in utero intravital microscopy. These results along with the virtual absence of endogenous GRK activity in beta ARK1-/- embryos demonstrate that beta ARK1 appears to be the predominant GRK in early embryogenesis and that it plays a fundamental role in cardiac development.
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PMID:Essential role of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 in cardiac development and function. 891 29

beta-Adrenergic receptors are often studied as prototypes of the large family of G-protein-coupled receptors, which includes many other well-known members such as the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, but also the receptors for light, taste and olfaction. These receptors are regulated by multiple mechanisms which can affect either their function or their expression to a rapidly changing environment. The most obvious changes are effected by receptor agonists, and this process is called receptor desensitization. On the functional level, the most intriguing and important mechanism of desensitization involves the phosphorylation of beta-adrenergic and homologous receptors by specific receptor kinases, termed the G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs). This phosphorylation is followed by binding of arrestins to the receptors, which causes uncoupling of receptors and G-proteins and thus results in a loss of receptor function. On the expression level, there appear to be two major pathways leading to a reduction of the receptor number: degradation of the receptors themselves, or reduced receptor synthesis brought about by reduced receptor mRNA levels. Heart failure is accompanied by a markedly reduced responsiveness of the beta-adrenergic receptor system, which in many ways resembles the phenomena seen in agonist-induced receptor desensitization. The levels of beta 1-adrenergic receptors are reduced, and this reduction is paralleled by similar decreases in the levels of the corresponding mRNA. At the same time, the activity and the mRNA levels of one of the GRK-isoforms, GRK2 (which is identical to the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1) are increased. These alterations may contribute to the loss of beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness in heart failure and result in further impairment of cardiac function.
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PMID:Mechanisms of beta-adrenergic receptor desensitization: from molecular biology to heart failure. 895 41

We examined alterations in left ventricular (LV) G protein receptor kinase (GRK) and adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoform expression during the development of pacing-induced congestive heart failure (CHF). AC isoform and GRK expression were assessed 4 (mild CHF) and 28 (severe CHF) days after initiation of pacing. LV beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) number and G protein content were unchanged by mild CHF. LV AC isoform mRNA content was unaltered by mild CHF, but there were increases in total GRK activity (P < 0.01), total GRK5 protein content (P < 0.04), and GRK5 mRNA (P = 0.003); total GRK2 protein content and GRK2 mRNA were unchanged. Mild CHF was associated with decreased beta-AR coupling (P < 0.01) and reduced beta-AR stimulation of AC (P < 0.05). Severe CHF was associated with LV beta-AR downregulation (P = 0.0001) and uncoupling (P < 0.001) and marked generalized reduction of AC activity (mean P = 0.01). LV ACVI isoform mRNA content was reduced (P = 0.002), but ACII and ACV isoform mRNA contents were unaffected. Persistent elevations in LV total GRK activity (P < 0.01), total GRK5 protein content (P < 0.001), and GRK5 mRNA (P = 0.01) were found; in contrast, total GRK2 protein content was unchanged and GRK2 mRNA was reduced (P = 0.02). These studies indicate that increased GRK activity is an early charge in heart failure that predates alterations in AC isoform expression. Impaired hormonal stimulation of AC, associated with beta-AR uncoupling, may result from increased GRK5 expression. AC downregulation is isoform specific and accompanies severe but not mild CHF.
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PMID:Adenylyl cyclase and G protein receptor kinase expression during development of heart failure. 927 87

-Responsiveness to beta-adrenergic stimulation is reduced in the failing human myocardium. This results principally from reduced beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) density, elevated beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 (betaARK1) levels, and functional uncoupling of remaining receptors. The temporal nature of changes in the human myocardial beta-adrenergic system relative to onset of symptomatic heart failure (HF) has been difficult to discern. A relatively new model of HF, the spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rat spontaneously and reproducibly develops left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and progresses to HF, thus enabling longitudinal studies to examine the cellular and molecular bases for hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent HF. The purpose of this study was to examine age-dependent changes in the betaAR system in this model. Lean male SHHF rats at 3, 7, 14, and 20 months were compared with age-matched Sprague-Dawley (SD) control rats ([C]; 4 animals/group). At all ages the SHHF rats had elevated blood pressures and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure relative to the SD control rats (P<0.05). Compared with age-matched SD control rats, LVH was evident by 3 months in SHHF rats; 20-month-old SHHF rats had significantly greater LVH compared with the other SHHF rat groups. beta-adrenergic responsiveness (maximal heart rate to isoproterenol) was reduced only in 20-month-old SHHF rats. betaARK1 protein levels and activity were elevated at 14 months (162+/-10% and 195+/-20% C, respectively), and betaARK1 protein remained elevated at 20 months (140+/-14% C). In contrast, G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5, a second receptor kinase in the heart, remained unchanged at all ages. betaAR density did not change with age in the SD control rats and was similar in the SHHF rats until 20 months of age when the receptor number was reduced (30+/-1%). These data indicate that cardiac dysfunction is coincident with reduced betaAR density. Importantly, cardiac dysfunction was preceded by elevated betaARK1 levels and activity, thus suggesting that betaARK1 may be a precipitating factor in the transition from hypertension-induced compensatory cardiac hypertrophy to HF. Furthermore, these results indicate that the SHHF rat is a powerful model for use in examination of the mechanisms involved in alterations of beta-adrenergic signaling that occur in human HF.
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PMID:The myocardial beta-adrenergic system in spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats. 993 Nov 37

Calsequestrin is a high capacity Ca(2+)-binding protein in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum that forms a quaternary complex with junctin, triadin, and the ryanodine receptor. Transgenic mice with cardiac-targeted calsequestrin overexpression show marked suppression of Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release, myocyte hypertrophy, and premature death by 16 weeks of age (Jones, L. R., Suzuki, Y. J., Wang, W., Kobayashi, Y. M., Ramesh, V., Franzini-Armstrong, C., Cleemann, L., and Morad, M. (1998) J. Clin. Invest. 101, 1385-1393). To investigate whether alterations in intracellular Ca(2+) trigger changes in the beta-adrenergic receptor pathway, we studied calsequestrin overexpressing transgenic mice at 7 and 14 weeks of age. As assessed by echocardiography, calsequestrin mice at 7 weeks showed mild left ventricular enlargement, mild decreased fractional shortening with increased wall thickness. By 14 weeks, the phenotype progressed to marked left ventricular enlargement and severely depressed systolic function. Cardiac catheterization in calsequestrin mice revealed markedly impaired beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness in both 7- and 14- week mice. Biochemical analysis in 7- and 14-week mice showed a significant decrease in total beta-adrenergic receptor density, adenylyl cyclase activity, and the percent high affinity agonist binding, which was associated with increased beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 levels. Taken together, these data indicate that alterations in beta-adrenergic receptor signaling precede the development of overt heart failure in this mouse model of progressive cardiomyopathy.
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PMID:Defective beta-adrenergic receptor signaling precedes the development of dilated cardiomyopathy in transgenic mice with calsequestrin overexpression. 1042 92

Molecular changes that take place during the evolution of heart failure (HF), especially the well characterized beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) signaling abnormalities, represent attractive targets for myocardial gene therapy. The beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (betaARK1 or GRK2) is a cytosolic enzyme that phosphorylates only agonist-occupied betaARs as well as other G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), leading to desensitization and functional uncoupling. betaARK1 levels and activity are elevated in the failing heart and therefore, it has recently been evaluated as a potential target for novel HF treatment. This review summarizes recent results obtained in transgenic mouse models as well as in animals where a betaARK1 inhibitor peptide (betaARKct) was delivered via the coronary arteries by exogenous gene transfer. These results strongly suggest that betaARK1 inhibition may represent a significant improvement in HF therapy.
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PMID:Gene-mediated inhibition of the b-adrenergic receptor kinase: a new therapeutic strategy for heart failure. 1173 34

Cardiovascular regulation is tightly controlled by signaling through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). beta-Adrenergic receptors (ARs) are GPCRs that regulate inotropy and chronotropy in the heart and mediate vasodilation, which critically influences systemic vascular resistance. GPCR kinases (GRKs), including GRK2 (or betaARK1), phosphorylate and desensitize agonist-activated betaARs. Myocardial GRK2 levels are increased in heart failure and data suggest that vascular levels may also be elevated in hypertension. Therefore, we generated transgenic mice with vascular smooth muscle (VSM) targeted overexpression of GRK2, using a portion of the SM22alpha promoter, to determine its impact on vascular betaAR regulation. VSM betaAR signaling, as determined by adenylyl cyclase and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation assays, was attenuated when GRK2 was overexpressed 2- to 3-fold. In vivo vasodilation in response to betaAR stimulation using isoproterenol was attenuated and conscious resting mean arterial blood pressure was elevated from 96 +/- 2 mm Hg in nontransgenic littermate control (NLC) mice (n = 9) to 112 +/- 3 mm Hg and 117 +/- 2 mm Hg in two different lines of SM22alpha-GRK2 transgenic mice (n = 7 and n = 5, respectively; p < 0.05). Interestingly, medial VSM thickness was increased 30% from 29.8 +/- 1.6 microm in NLC mice (n = 6) to 39.4 +/- 1.6 microm in SM22alpha-GRK2 mice (n = 7) (p < 0.05) and vascular GRK2 overexpression was sufficient to cause cardiac hypertrophy. These data indicate that we have developed a unique mouse model of hypertension, providing insight into the contribution that vascular betaAR signaling makes toward resting blood pressure and overall cardiovascular regulation. Moreover, they suggest that GRK2 plays an important role in vascular control and may represent a novel therapeutic target for hypertension.
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PMID:Vascular-targeted overexpression of G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 in transgenic mice attenuates beta-adrenergic receptor signaling and increases resting blood pressure. 1190 Dec 13

1. Studies using animal experimental models have suggested that the beta2-adrenoceptor is uncoupled in association with alterations in the expression of G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRK) 2/3 in heart failure. However, the functional expression of the components of this pathway in human disease has not been fully elucidated yet. In the present study, we evaluated the possibility that the regulation of beta2-adrenoceptor signalling components in patients with left ventricular volume overload (VOL) depends on the severity of the overload. 2. We characterized the lymphocyte GRK 2-6, beta-arrestins 1 and 2, beta2-adrenoceptor expression at the mRNA and protein levels, as well as the activity of adenylyl cyclase, protein kinases (PK) A and PKC in patients with VOL using healthy blood donors as controls. 3. In the patient group, GRK2 mRNA was increased by 61% (P < 0.001), GRK3 was increased by 54% (P < 0.005), GRK5 was increased fivefold (P < 0.001) and the beta-arrestin 2 mRNA was increased by 40% (P < 0.05). These increases were paralleled with a sixfold increase in GRK2, a twofold increase in GRK3 and a 1.3-fold increase in GRK5 protein levels. These changes were associated with a significant decrease in beta2-adrenoceptor mRNA, the basal, catalytic and receptor-mediated activity of adenylyl cyclase and sensitization of the forskolin-stimulated activity towards augmented inhibition by guanylimidodiphosphate. In general, the increase in GRK2 and 5 mRNA exhibited a positive correlation with the gravity of the haemodynamic load, as determined by changes in left ventricular fractional shortening. 4. The results suggest that VOL induces an increase in the expression of lymphocyte beta2-adrenoceptor-specific GRK and beta-arrestin 2 in association with an attenuation in beta2-adrenoceptor levels. It can be speculated that the cardiac circulatory system adapts itself to altered haemodynamic functional demands partly by altering beta2-adrenoceptor signalling.
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PMID:Characterization of lymphocyte beta 2-adrenoceptor signalling in patients with left ventricular volume overload disease. 1190 80

Gprotein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) are known to be involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Their exact role and subcellular distribution during cardiac hypertrophy and failure remain to be elucidated. We examined expression and subcellular distribution of GRK2 and GRK5 in the left ventricle of female spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats at 6 months of age using Western blots and fluorescent confocal microscopy. GRK2 was expressed mainly in the Triton X-100 soluble fraction in the left ventricle with similar expression levels between SHHF and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. GRK2 had a striated pattern which colocalized with sarcomeric alpha-actinin and G protein in both SHHF and WKY rat myocytes and specifically accumulated in the intercalated disks of myocytes from SHHF but not WKY rats. GRK5 was expressed in both the Triton X-100 soluble fraction and Triton X-100 insoluble fraction in the left ventricle with similar expression levels between SHHF and WKY rats. GRK5 distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm in both SHHF and WKY rat myocytes and specifically accumulated in the nucleus of myocytes from SHHF but not WKY rats. GRK5 colocalized with coilin, the major component of the nuclear substructure involved in RNA synthesis and processing. The results suggest different roles for GRK2 and GRK5 in G-protein signaling and RNA biogenesis. Subcellular redistribution of GRK2 and GRK5 may be involved in cardiac hypertrophy resulting from chronic hypertension.
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PMID:Myocyte redistribution of GRK2 and GRK5 in hypertensive, heart-failure-prone rats. 1205 42


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