title: ROCKs cause SHP-wrecks and broken hearts.
abstract: During embryogenesis, the heart is one of the first organs to develop. Its formation requires a complex combination of migration of cardiac precursors to the ventral midline coupled with the fusion of these cardiogenic fields and subsequent cellular reorganization to form a linear heart tube. A finely controlled choreography of cell proliferation, adhesion, contraction and movement drives the heart tube to loop and subsequently septate to form the four-chambered mammalian heart we are familiar with. Defining how this plethora of cellular processes is controlled both spatially and temporally is a scientific feat that has fascinated researchers for decades. Unfortunately, the complex nature of this organ's development also makes it a prime target for mutation-induced malformation, as evidenced by the multitude of prevalent congenital heart disorders identified that afflict up to 1% of the population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Panna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tandon
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Conlon
authors.forename: Joan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D054592:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D054592:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11; C049347:fasudil