Signaling pathways mediating cardiac myocyte gene expression in physiological and stress responses.
The contractile cells in the heart (the cardiac myocytes) are terminally differentiated. In response to pathophysiological stresses, cardiac myocytes undergo hypertrophic growth or apoptosis, responses associated with the development of cardiac pathologies. There has been much effort expended in gaining an understanding of the stimuli which promote these responses, and in identifying the intracellular signaling pathways which are activated and potentially involved. These signaling pathways presumably modulate gene and protein expression to elicit the end-stage response. For the regulation of gene expression, the signal may traverse the cytoplasm to modulate nuclear-localized transcription factors as occurs with the mitogen-activated protein kinase or protein kinase B/Akt cascades. Alternatively, the signal may promote translocation of transcription factors from the cytoplasm to the nucleus as is seen with the calcineurin/NFAT and JAK/STAT systems. We present an overview of the principal signaling pathways implicated in the regulation of gene expression in cardiac myocyte pathophysiology, and summarize the current understanding of these pathways, the transcription factors they regulate and the changes in gene expression associated with the development of cardiac pathologies. Finally, we discuss how intracellular signaling and gene expression may be integrated to elicit the overall change in cellular phenotype.
Clerk
Angela
A
NHLI Division, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK. a.clerk@imperial.ac.uk
Cullingford
Timothy E
TE
Fuller
Stephen J
SJ
Giraldo
Alejandro
A
Markou
Thomais
T
Pikkarainen
Sampsa
S
Sugden
Peter H
PH
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000235:genetics; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA; D011494:Protein Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases