title: Small guanine nucleotide-binding protein Rho and myocardial function.
abstract: RhoA and Rho-kinase (ROCK) participate in a wide variety of cell signal functions such as cell growth, smooth and cardiac muscle contraction, cytoskeleton rearrangement, cell migration and proliferation. In vascular smooth muscle cells, RhoA and ROCK play an important role in Ca2+ sensitization and regulate vascular smooth muscle tone. In the heart, RhoA and ROCK mediate hypertrophic response leading to cardiac hypertrophy. Recent cellular and molecular biology studies using ROCK inhibitors such as Y-27632 and fasudil have indicated a pivotal role of the RhoA-ROCK cascade in many aspects of cardiovascular function such as cardiac hypertrophy and ventricular remodeling following myocardial infarction. Inhibition of the RhoA-ROCK signaling pathway may be a suitable target for a number of cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertrophic heart failure. This review focuses on the current understanding of the RhoA-ROCK signal pathway in heart diseases and discusses the use of ROCK inhibitors as therapeutic agents for heart diseases ranging from hypertensive cardiomyopathy to heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine and Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. jren@uwyo.edu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Cindy X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000577:Amides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011725:Pyridines; C108830:Y 27632; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; C049347:fasudil