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)

p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activities were significantly increased in mouse hearts after chronic transverse aortic constriction, coincident with the onset of ventricular hypertrophy. Infection of cardiomyocytes with adenoviral vectors expressing upstream activators for the p38 kinases, activated mutants of MAP kinase kinase 3b(E) (MKK3bE) and MAP kinase kinase 6b(E) (MKK6bE), elicited characteristic hypertrophic responses, including an increase in cell size, enhanced sarcomeric organization, and elevated atrial natriuretic factor expression. Overexpression of the activated MKK3bE in cardiomyocytes also led to an increase in apoptosis. The hypertrophic response was enhanced by co-infection of an adenoviral vector expressing wild type p38 beta, and was suppressed by the p38 beta dominant negative mutant. In contrast, the MKK3bE-induced cell death was increased by co-infection of an adenovirus expressing wild type p38 alpha, and was suppressed by the dominant negative p38 alpha mutant. This provides the first evidence in any cell system for divergent physiological functions for different members of the p38 MAP kinase family. The direct involvement of p38 pathways in cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis suggests a significant role for p38 signaling in the pathophysiology of heart failure.
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PMID:Cardiac muscle cell hypertrophy and apoptosis induced by distinct members of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase family. 944 57

The heart is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-producing organ. Both myocardial macrophages and cardiac myocytes themselves synthesize TNF. Accumulating evidence indicates that myocardial TNF is an autocrine contributor to myocardial dysfunction and cardiomyocyte death in ischemia-reperfusion injury, sepsis, chronic heart failure, viral myocarditis, and cardiac allograft rejection. Indeed, locally (vs. systemically) produced TNF contributes to postischemic myocardial dysfunction via direct depression of contractility and induction of myocyte apoptosis. Lipopolysaccharide or ischemia-reperfusion activates myocardial P38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and nuclear factor kappa B, which lead to TNF production. TNF depresses myocardial function by nitric oxide (NO)-dependent and NO-independent (sphingosine dependent) mechanisms. TNF activation of TNF receptor 1 or Fas may induce cardiac myocyte apoptosis. MAP kinases and TNF transcription factors are feasible targets for anti-TNF (i.e., cardioprotective) strategies. Endogenous anti-inflammatory ligands, which trigger the gp130 signaling cascade, heat shock proteins, and TNF-binding proteins, also control TNF production and activity. Thus modulation of TNF in cardiovascular disease represents a realistic goal for clinical medicine.
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor in the heart. 953 Feb 22

Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response of the heart to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli. The hypertrophic response, during which cardiomyocytes increase in size without undergoing cell division, initially serves to compensate for decreased cardiac output; however, prolonged hypertrophy can become detrimental, resulting in dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Cardiac hypertrophy requires coupling of intracellular signal transduction systems with transcription factors that activate and maintain the hypertrophic program. Over the past year, signaling pathways involving G proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinases and calcium-responsive phosphatases have emerged as critical regulators of cardiac hypertrophy.
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PMID:Cardiac hypertrophy: sorting out the circuitry. 1037 79

A growing body of evidence supports the notion that angiotensin II (Ang II), the central product of the renin-angiotensin system, may play a central role not only in the etiology of hypertension but also in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular and renal diseases in humans. In this review, we focus on the role of Ang II in cardiovascular and renal diseases at the molecular and cellular levels and discuss up-to-date evidence concerning the in vitro and in vivo actions of Ang II and the pharmacological effects of angiotensin receptor antagonists in comparison with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Ang II, via AT(1) receptor, directly causes cellular phenotypic changes and cell growth, regulates the gene expression of various bioactive substances (vasoactive hormones, growth factors, extracellular matrix components, cytokines, etc.), and activates multiple intracellular signaling cascades (mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, tyrosine kinases, various transcription factors, etc.) in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts, vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, and renal mesangial cells. These actions are supposed to participate in the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling, heart failure, vascular thickening, atherosclerosis, and glomerulosclerosis. Furthermore, in vivo recent evidence suggest that the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and activator protein-1 by Ang II may play the key role in cardiovascular and renal diseases. However, there are still unresolved questions and controversies on the mechanism of Ang II-mediated cardiovascular and renal diseases.
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PMID:Molecular and cellular mechanisms of angiotensin II-mediated cardiovascular and renal diseases. 1069 53

Apoptosis is a form of cell death that involves discrete genetic and molecular programs, de novo protein expression and a unique cellular phenotype. Evidence for the existence of apoptosis in the human heart has been reported in various cardiac diseases, including ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure, myocardial infarction and arrhythmias. Among the most potent stimuli that elicit cardiomyocyte apoptosis are: oxygen radicals (including NO), cytokines (FAS/TNF alpha-receptor signaling), stress conditions (chemical or physical, e.g., radiation), sphingolipid metabolites (ceramide) and autocoids, e.g., angiotensin II. Apoptosis of cardiac myocytes may contribute to progressive pump-failure, arrhythmias and cardiac remodeling. The recognition of numerous molecular targets associated with cardiomyocyte apoptosis may provide novel therapeutic strategies for diverse cardiac ailments, as recently suggested by pharmacologic studies in experimental animals. This review paper is aimed to highlight the role of protein kinase signaling pathways in apoptosis with special attention to the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) systems.
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PMID:Apoptosis in cardiac diseases: stress- and mitogen-activated signaling pathways. 1072 77

Using spontaneously hypertensive and aortic banded rats, we have shown that expression of myocardial osteopontin, an extracellular matrix protein, coincides with the development of heart failure and is inhibited by captopril, suggesting a role for angiotensin II (ANG II). This study tested whether ANG II induces osteopontin expression in adult rat ventricular myocytes and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC), and if so, whether induction is mediated via activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p42/44 MAPK) and involves reactive oxygen species (ROS). ANG II (1 microM, 16 h) increased osteopontin expression (fold increase 3.3+/-0.34, n = 12, P < 0.01) in CMEC as measured by northern analysis, but not in ARVM. ANG II stimulated osteopontin expression in CMEC in a time- (within 4 h) and concentration-dependent manner, which was prevented by the AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan. ANG II elicited robust phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK as measured using phospho-specific antibodies, and increased superoxide production as measured by cytochrome c reduction and lucigenin chemiluminescence assays. These effects were blocked by diphenylene iodonium (DPI), an inhibitor of the flavoprotein component of NAD(P)H oxidase. PD98059, an inhibitor of p42/44 MAPK pathway, and DPI each inhibited ANG II-stimulated osteopontin expression. Northern blot analysis showed basal expression of p22phox, a critical component of NADH/NADPH oxidase system, which was increased 40-60% by exposure to ANG II. These results suggest that p42/44 MAPK is a critical component of the ROS-sensitive signaling pathways activated by ANG II in CMEC and plays a key role in the regulation of osteopontin gene expression. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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PMID:Regulation of angiotensin II-stimulated osteopontin expression in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells: role of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase and reactive oxygen species. 1138 29

Activation of members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family and their downstream effectors has been proposed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of cell survival, ischaemic preconditioning, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. This study investigated the responses of Src kinase and multiple MAP kinases during the transition from compensated pressure-overload hypertrophy to decompensated congestive heart failure. Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2, p38, and Src were activated by chronic pressure-overload and their activity was sustained for 8 weeks after aortic banding. In contrast, while p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (90RSK) and big MAP kinase 1 (BMK1) were activated in compensated hypertrophy, their activities were significantly decreased in hearts with heart failure. No changes were found in C-Jun NH2 terminal kinase (JNK) activity after aortic banding. These data suggest that differential activation of MAP kinase family members may contribute to the transition from compensated to decompensated hypertrophy. We also examined acute effects of mechanical stretch on the activation of these kinases in normal and hypertrophied hearts. In the isolated coronary-perfused heart, a balloon in the left ventricle was inflated to achieve minimum end-diastolic pressure of 25 mmHg for 10-20 min. In normal guinea pig hearts, stretch activated ERK1/2, p90RSK, p38, Src, and BMK1 but not JNK. However in hypertrophied hearts, further activation of these kinases was not observed by acute mechanical stretch. Mechanical stretch-induced activation of ERK1/2 and p38 kinase in normal hearts was attenuated significantly by a protein kinase C inhibitor, chelerythrine. We demonstrate that ERK1/2, p90RSK, p38, Src, and BMK1 are activated by chronic pressure-overload and by acute mechanical stretch. These data suggest that Src, BMK1 and p90RSK play a role as novel signal transduction pathways leading to cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, the differential inhibition of p90RSK and BMK1 in hearts with congestive heart failure suggests the specific role of these two kinases to maintain cardiac function under chronic pressure-overload.
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PMID:Src and multiple MAP kinase activation in cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure under chronic pressure-overload: comparison with acute mechanical stretch. 1154 43

Cardiac myocytes can undergo programmed cell death in response to a variety of insults and apoptotic elimination of myocytes from the adult myocardium can lead directly to cardiomyopathy and death. Although it remains to be shown that therapy specifically targeting apoptosis will improve the prognosis of ischemic heart disease or heart failure, a number of studies in the past year have shed light on potential ways to intervene in the process. Progress in the past year includes a better understanding of the importance of mitochondria-initiated events in cardiac myocyte apoptosis, of factors inducing apoptosis during hypoxia, and of the dual pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic effects of hypertrophic stimuli such as beta-adrenoceptor agonists, nitric oxide and calcineurin. Further evidence supports the pathophysiologic relevance of apoptosis in human heart disease. The tracking of cytoprotective and apoptotic signal transduction pathways has revealed important new insights into the roles of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases p38, extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminus kinase (JNK) in cardiac cell fate.
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PMID:Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis in the cardiac myocyte. 1171 88

Signaling via mitogen-activated protein kinases is implicated in heart failure induced by agonists for G protein-coupled receptors that act via the G protein Galphaq. However, this assertion relies heavily on pharmacological inhibitors and dominant-interfering proteins and not on gene deletion. Here, we show that endogenous cardiac MAPK/ERK kinase kinase-1 (MEKK1)/(MAP3K1), a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase, is activated by heart-restricted overexpression of Galphaq in mice. In cardiac myocytes derived from embryonic stem cells in culture, homozygous disruption of MEKK1 selectively impaired c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity in the absence or presence of phenlyephrine, a Galphaq-dependent agonist. Other terminal mitogen-activated protein kinases were unaffected. In mice, the absence of MEKK1 abolished the increase in cardiac mass, myocyte size, hypertrophy-associated atrial natriuretic factor induction, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation by Galphaq, and improved ventricular mechanical function. Thus, MEKK1 mediates cardiac hypertrophy induced by Galphaq in vivo and is a logical target for drug development in heart disease involving this pathway.
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PMID:MEKK1 is essential for cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction induced by Gq. 1189 32

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


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