title: Autophagy in hypertensive heart disease.
abstract: In response to hypertension, the heart manifests robust hypertrophic growth, which offsets load-induced elevations in wall stress. If sustained, this hypertrophic response is a major risk factor for systolic dysfunction and heart failure. Extensive research efforts have focused on the progression from hypertrophy to failure; however, precise understanding of underlying mechanisms remains elusive. Recently, autophagy, a process of cellular cannibalization, has been implicated. Autophagy is activated during ventricular hypertrophy, serving to maintain cellular homeostasis. Excessive autophagy eliminates, however, essential cellular elements and possibly provokes cell death, which together contribute to hypertension-related heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8573, USA.
authors.forename: Zhao V
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Beverly A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rothermel
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype; D015427:Reperfusion Injury; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors