Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0151744 (myocardial ischemia)
 31,282 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Since protection of cells from stress-induced apoptosis by the heat shock protein Hsp72 involves suppression of stress kinase JNK, we suggested that Hsp72-mediated JNK inhibition might also be critical for myocardial protection from ischemia/reperfusion. Transient energy deprivation of H9c2 myogenic cells, used as an in vitro model of myocardial ischemia, led to cell death that had morphological features of apoptosis and necrosis and was independent of caspases. Surprisingly, this unusual type of cell death was regulated by JNK and ERK kinases. In fact, specific inhibition of JNK increased cell survival; specific inhibition of ERKs enhanced deleterious consequences of energy deprivation, whereas inhibition of p38 kinase had no effect. Hsp72 suppressed activation of JNK and did not increase ERK activity, suggesting that inhibition of JNK is the important component of Hsp72-mediated protection. Upon transient energy deprivation, activation of JNK proceeds via two distinct pathways, stimulation of JNK phosphorylation by a protein kinase SEK1 and inhibition of JNK dephosphorylation. Remarkably, in cells exposed to transient energy deprivation, Hsp72 enhanced the rate of JNK dephosphorylation but did not affect SEK1 activity. Therefore, it appears that Hsp72 specifically down-regulates JNK by accelerating its dephosphorylation, which reduces the susceptibility of cardiac cells to simulated ischemia/reperfusion.
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PMID:Suppression of stress kinase JNK is involved in HSP72-mediated protection of myogenic cells from transient energy deprivation. HSP72 alleviates the stewss-induced inhibition of JNK dephosphorylation. 1097 40

Chagas' disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of heart disease. Previous studies from this laboratory revealed that microvascular spasm and myocardial ischemia were observed in infected mice. Infection of endothelial cells with this parasite increased the synthesis of biologically active endothelin-1 (ET-1). Therefore. in the myocardium of T. cruzi-infected mice, we examined ET-1 expression and the p42/44-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)-AP-1 pathway that regulates the expression of ET-1. There was parasitism and myonecrosis in the myocardium of infected C57BL/6 mice. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed elevated mRNA expression of transcription factor AP-1 (c-jun and c-fos) and increased AP-1 DNA binding activity as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Western blot analysis demonstrated an increase in the phosphorylated forms of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2). ET-1 mRNA was upregulated in the myocardium of infected mice. Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopy using anti-ET-1 antibody detected increased expression in cardiac myocytes and endothelium of these mice. These data suggest that ET-1 contributes to chagasic cardiomyopathy and that the mechanism of the increased expression of ET-1 is a result of the activation of the MAPK pathway by T. cruzi infection.
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PMID:Trypanosoma cruzi infection (Chagas' disease) of mice causes activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and expression of endothelin-1 in the myocardium. 1107 62

Decreasing heart rate is potentially useful in ischaemic heart disease. Tedisamil is a bradycardic agent resulting from its ability to inhibit transient outward current (I(to)) in atria. Tedisamil inhibits I(to), potassium current (IK), K(ATP) and the protein kinase A-activated chloride channel in ventricles as well as vascular IK and Ca(2+)-activated IK (IK((Ca))). Tedisamil prolongs cardiac action potentials and the corrected QT (QTc) of the ECG and also increases cardiac refractoriness. Tedisamil is anti-arrhythmic in animal models of ventricular arrhythmias and atrial flutter. The bradycardic effect of tedisamil is associated with a reduction in myocardial oxygen demand. On isolated rat ventricle, tedisamil is a positive inotrope and on isolated rabbit atria, tedisamil reverses the negative inotropic effect of pinacidil. Tedisamil contracts the isolated rat portal vein and aorta, reduces cromakalim-induced relaxations of contracted rat aorta and increases blood pressure in animals and humans. Tedisamil is 96% bound to plasma proteins, has a plasma half-life of about 10 h and is cleared from the kidney unchanged. Clinical trials have shown that the electrophysiology of tedisamil is that of a class III anti-arrhythmic. In coronary artery disease, tedisamil has no effect on inotropism and increases the threshold for angina. Potassium channel blockade with tedisamil may have advantages over calcium channel blockers or K(ATP) channel openers as an anti-ischaemic mechanism in coronary artery disease. In exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia, beta-blockers are probably favourable to tedisamil, as they will limit the increase in heart rate, contractility and blood pressure caused by sympathetic stimulation, whereas tedisamil will not. In heart failure patients, tedisamil reduces heart rate, but increases blood pressure. The usefulness of tedisamil as a bradycardic agent is limited by the increase in blood pressure. A drug that is bradycardic without increasing blood pressure would be an improvement on tedisamil as the master switch of nature for ischaemic heart disease.
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PMID:Tedisamil: master switch of nature? 1111 86

In isolated, perfused adult rat hearts, global ischemia increased the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) relative to control levels, and this phosphorylation was reversed with reperfusion. CREB phosphorylation elicited by 5 min of global ischemia was sensitive to treatments with the calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)) inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL) and occurred in the absence of increases in myocardial cAMP content. In contrast, CREB phosphorylation elicited by 15 min of global ischemia was likely mediated by elevated cAMP levels. The expression of c-fos, in response to brief myocardial ischemia, was also sensitive to BEL treatment. The induction of iPLA(2)-mediated CREB phosphorylation was further substantiated by the observations that lysoplasmenylcholine increased both the phosphorylation of CREB and the induction of c-fos expression in the absence and presence of BEL. CREB phosphorylation in both ischemic hearts and lysoplasmenylcholine-perfused hearts was inhibited by pretreatment of hearts with the specific cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor H-89. Taken together, these data demonstrate that iPLA(2) mediates CREB phosphorylation through a PKA-dependent pathway during brief periods of myocardial ischemia, possibly through the formation of lysophospholipids.
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PMID:Calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) mediates CREB phosphorylation and c-fos expression during ischemia. 1140 82

There is currently intense interest in the development of gene therapy for cardiovascular disease. The stimulation of therapeutic angiogenesis for ischemic heart disease has been one of the areas of greatest promise. Encouraging results have been obtained with the angiogenic cytokines vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor in animal models, leading to clinical trials in ischemic heart disease. VEGF also has therapeutic potential in a second area of cardiovascular gene therapy, the enhancement of arterioprotective endothelial functions to prevent postangioplasty restenosis and bypass graft arteriopathy. The endothelial cell growth and survival functions of VEGF promote endothelial regeneration, whereas VEGF-induced endothelial production of NO and prostacyclin inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia may also be achieved by gene transfer of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), PGI synthase, or cell cycle regulators (retinoblastoma, cyclin or cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p53, growth arrest homeobox gene, fas ligand) or antisense oligonucleotides to c-myb, c-myc, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappaB and E2F. An improved understanding of etiologically complex pathologies involving the interplay of genes and the environment, such as atherosclerosis and systemic hypertension, has led to the identification of new targets for gene therapy, with the potential to alleviate inherited genetic defects such as familial hypercholesterolemia. The use of vasodilator gene overexpression and antisense knockdown of vasoconstrictors to reduce blood pressure in animal models of systemic and pulmonary hypertension offers the prospect of gene therapy for human hypertensive disease. The renin-angiotensin system has been the target of choice for antihypertensive strategies because of its wide distribution and additional effects on fibrinolytic and oxidative stress pathways. Gene therapy in cardiovascular disease has an exciting future but remains at an early stage. Further developments in gene transfer vector technology and the identification of additional target genes will be required before its full therapeutic potential can be realized.
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PMID:Gene therapy for cardiovascular disease: a case for cautious optimism. 1171 25

Recent studies suggest that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin--similar to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)--may promote angiogenesis by activation of a protein kinase Akt-nitric oxide synthase dependent pathway in endothelial cells, an effect that may be beneficial in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. However, induction of angiogenesis by VEGF contributes importantly to the blood supply of developing tumors and tumor metastases as well. Thus, it can be hypothesized that chronic systemic treatment of elderly patients with a drug that induces angiogenesis by a VEGF-like manner will also promote tumor growth.
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PMID:Can simvastatin promote tumor growth by inducing angiogenesis similar to VEGF? 1186 4

Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) family is responsive to changes in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. However, their functions have not been well established in the ischemia/reperfusion heart. The effects of myocardial ischemia on CaMKII, the most strongly expressed form, were investigated using isolated rat hearts. Rat hearts were rendered globally ischemic by stopping perfusion for 15 min, and then reperfused, heart ventricles being analyzed in each phase. Western blotting detected a decrease in the cytosolic and concomitant increase in the particulate fraction of CaMKII following transient ischemia. Redistribution to the cytosol was revealed on reperfusion. Northern blot showed CaMKII gene expression decreased by ischemia. Furthermore, autoradiography and confocal immunohistochemical findings provided autophosphorylation of CaMKII in the cytosol, ischemia causing decrease, with gradual recovery on reperfusion. These results indicate a transient partial translocation of CaMKII accompanied by kinase activity, with residual myocardial CaMKII undergoing autophosphorylation during ischemia and reperfusion, demonstrating two different characteristic dynamics of CaMKII.
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PMID:Dynamics of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II following acute myocardial ischemia-translocation and autophosphorylation. 1235 53

Recent studies have demonstrated that the activation of protein kinase Akt attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, it remains unknown whether adrenomedullin (AM), which is also a potent Akt activator, has cardioprotective effects after ischemia/reperfusion. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a 30-min period of ischemia induced by ligation of the left coronary artery followed by 24-h reperfusion. They were randomized to receive intravenous administration of AM (0.05 microg/kg/min) or saline for 60 min after coronary ligation. We examined the hemodynamics and myocardial apoptosis 24 h after ischemia/reperfusion. Echocardiographic measurements were performed 4 weeks after ischemia/reperfusion. Myocardial infarct size was also measured histologically. AM significantly reduced left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (17 +/- 2 to 8 +/- 2 mmHg, p < 0.05) and the number of apoptotic nuclei in myocytes (387 +/- 39 to 147 +/- 72 per field, p < 0.05). AM significantly increased LV dP/dt(max) (4,803 +/- 228 to 5,672 +/- 199 mmHg/s, p < 0.05). AM significantly increased LV fractional shortening (23 +/- 2 vs. 28 +/- 2%, p < 0.05), and significantly reduced LV diastolic dimension (7.4 +/- 0.1 to 6.9 +/- 0.1 mm, p < 0.05) and myocardial infarct size (33 +/- 2 to 20 +/- 2%, p < 0.01) 4 weeks after ischemia/reperfusion. In conclusion, AM infusion during ischemia/reperfusion attenuated the development of LV remodeling and myocardial fibrosis in rats. Based on these results, the cardioprotective effects of AM may be attributed at least partly to its anti-apoptotic effect.
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PMID:Adrenomedullin infusion during ischemia/reperfusion attenuates left ventricular remodeling and myocardial fibrosis in rats. 1263 Aug 18

Ataxia telangiectasia is one of a group of recessive hereditary genomic instability disorders and is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, immunodeficiency and cancer susceptibility. Heterozygotes for the mutated gene are more susceptible to cancer and to ischaemic heart disease. The affected gene, ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), has been cloned and codes for a protein kinase (ATM), which orchestrates the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks after ionising radiation. An underlying feature of ataxia telangiectasia is oxidative stress and there is chronic activation of stress response pathways in tissues showing pathology such as the cerebellum, but not in the cerebrum or liver. ATM has also been shown to be activated by insulin and to have a wider role in signal transduction and cell growth. Many, but not all, aspects of the phenotype can be attributed to a defective DNA damage response. The oxidative stress may result directly from accumulated DNA damage in affected tissues or ATM may have an additional role in sensing/modulating redox homeostasis. The basis for the observed tissue specificity of the oxidative damage in ataxia telangiectasia is not clear.
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PMID:Oxidative stress in ataxia telangiectasia. 1263 40

Apoptosis of cardiac myocytes is thought to be a feature of many pathological disorders, including congestive heart failure (CHF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Because recent investigations indicate that endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays an important role in CHF and IHD, we investigated the effect of ET-1 on cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The presence of apoptosis in rat cardiomyocytes (H9c2 and neonatal) was evaluated by morphological criteria, electrophoresis of DNA fragments, 4',6'-diamidine-2'-phenylindole staining, and TUNEL analysis. ET-1, but not angiotensin II, prevented apoptosis induced by serum deprivation via ETA receptors in a dose-dependent manner (1 to 100 nmol/L). ET-1 also prevented cytochrome c release from mitochondria to the cytosol. The use of specific pharmacological inhibitors demonstrated that the antiapoptotic effect of ET-1 was mediated through a tyrosine kinase pathway (genistein and AG490) but not through protein kinase C (PKC; calphostin C), mitogen-activated protein kinases (PD98059 and SB203580), or PKA (KT5270) pathways. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of kinase-inactive (KI) c-Src reversed the antiapoptotic effect of ET-1. We further investigated whether Bcl-xL, an antiapoptotic molecule, would be upregulated by using a luciferase-based reporter system. ET-1 upregulated Bcl-xL, and this upregulation was inhibited by genistein or AG490 but not by calphostin C. The experiments with KI mutants for various tyrosine kinases revealed that c-Src and Pyk2 (but not JAK1, Jak2, Syk, and Tec) are involved in ET-1-induced upregulation of Bcl-xL expression. These findings suggest that ET-1 prevents apoptosis in cardiac myocytes through the ETA receptor and the subsequent c-Src/Bcl-xL-dependent pathway.
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PMID:Antiapoptotic effect of endothelin-1 in rat cardiomyocytes in vitro. 1266 84


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