title: Mechano-signaling in heart failure.
abstract: Mechanosensation and mechanotransduction are fundamental aspects of biology, but the link between physical stimuli and biological responses remains not well understood. The perception of mechanical stimuli, their conversion into biochemical signals, and the transmission of these signals are particularly important for dynamic organs such as the heart. Various concepts have been introduced to explain mechanosensation at the molecular level, including effects on signalosomes, tensegrity, or direct activation (or inactivation) of enzymes. Striated muscles, including cardiac myocytes, differ from other cells in that they contain sarcomeres which are essential for the generation of forces and which play additional roles in mechanosensation. The majority of cardiomyopathy causing candidate genes encode structural proteins among which titin probably is the most important one. Due to its elastic elements, titin is a length sensor and also plays a role as a tension sensor (i.e., stress sensation). The recent discovery of titin mutations being a major cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) also underpins the importance of mechanosensation and mechanotransduction in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Here, we focus on sarcomere-related mechanisms, discuss recent findings, and provide a link to cardiomyopathy and associated heart failure.
authors: Imperial College, British Heart Foundation-Centre for Research Excellence, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
authors: Byambajav
authors: B
authors: Buyandelger
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Mansfield
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Knöll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012518:Sarcomeres / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins