title: MURC, a muscle-restricted coiled-coil protein that modulates the Rho/ROCK pathway, induces cardiac dysfunction and conduction disturbance.
abstract: We identified a novel muscle-restricted putative coiled-coil protein, MURC, which is evolutionarily conserved from frog to human. MURC was localized to the cytoplasm with accumulation in the Z-line of the sarcomere in the murine adult heart. MURC mRNA expression in the heart increased during the developmental process from the embryonic stage to adulthood. In response to pressure overload, MURC mRNA expression increased in the hypertrophied heart. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified the serum deprivation response (SDPR) protein, a phosphatidylserine-binding protein, as a MURC-binding protein. MURC induced activation of the RhoA/ROCK pathway, which modulated serum response factor-mediated atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) expression and myofibrillar organization. SDPR augmented MURC-induced transactivation of the ANP promoter in cardiomyocytes, and RNA interference of SDPR attenuated the action of MURC on the ANP promoter. Transgenic mice expressing cardiac-specific MURC (Tg-MURC) exhibited cardiac contractile dysfunction and atrioventricular (AV) conduction disturbances with atrial chamber enlargement, reduced thickness of the ventricular wall, and interstitial fibrosis. Spontaneous episodes of atrial fibrillation and AV block were observed in Tg-MURC mice. These findings indicate that MURC modulates RhoA signaling and that MURC plays an important role in the development of cardiac dysfunction and conduction disturbance with increased vulnerability to atrial arrhythmias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Translational Research Center, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueyama
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isodono
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tagawa
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Tsuneaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Tomosaburo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shioi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Hidemasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism; D028044:Phosphate-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C112303:CAVIN2 protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D028044:Phosphate-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein