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Cardiac hypertrophy: stressing out the heart
Jil C. Tardiff
Jil C. Tardiff
Published June 1, 2006
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2006;116(6):1467-1470. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI28884.
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Commentary

Cardiac hypertrophy: stressing out the heart

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Abstract

The question of what differentiates physiological from pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains one of the most clinically relevant questions in basic cardiovascular research. The answer(s) to this question will have far-ranging importance in the fight against hypertrophic heart disease and failure. In this issue of the JCI, Perrino et al. have used a unique model system to mimic the pathophysiologic effects of an intermittent pressure overload on the heart — in effect, to examine the basic issue of what determines an in vivo pathogenic stimulus (see the related article beginning on page 1547). Their findings clearly show that it is the nature of the inciting stimulus, as opposed to chronicity, that establishes the initial pathogenic response and that a distinct disruption of the β-adrenergic system is centrally involved in the earliest alterations of myocellular physiology. These results suggest both a new paradigm for treatment options in hypertrophic cardiac disease and novel methodologies for further studies.

Authors

Jil C. Tardiff

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Figure 1

Potential mechanism for the role of early βAR dysfunction in the hypertrophy-independent pathological phenotype induced by iTAC.

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 Potential mechanism for the role of early βAR dysfunction in the hypert...
(A) Role of PI3Kγ in modulating βAR internalization. Chronic β-agonist binding to βARs leads to an induction in myocellular βARK1 levels. βARK1 binds to PI3Kγ and facilitates its translocation to the receptor complex, where the subsequent generation of D-3 phosphoinositides leads to the recruitment of multiple adapter proteins and receptor internalization. (B) Intermittent pressure overload (iTAC) promotes early βAR dysfunction. Normal mice exposed to both 1 week and 4 weeks of iTAC exhibited significant βAR downregulation and desensitization. In the case of the 1-week iTAC mice, this effect was seen despite normal steady-state catecholamine levels and highlights the pathogenic nature of the pressure-overload stimulus. While the pressure-overload sensor mechanism is not fully understood, the participation of the molecules involved in mechanical stress (e.g., integrins) is likely. These 2 stimuli result in the observed pathogenic response, including a significant induction of βARK1 levels causing an increase in PI3Kγ translocation to the agonist-bound receptor complex and subsequent increase in receptor internalization. (C) Overexpression of PI3Kγinact in the heart reverses the downregulation of βARs and the early pathogenic changes in iTAC mice. Unlike normal mice, iTACγinact mice subjected to 1 week of iTAC exhibited normal βAR density and βAR/Gs coupling in the context of elevated βARK1. Overexpression of PI3Kγinact leads to a competitive displacement of all PI3K isoforms from the βARK1/PI3K complex. This displacement blocks the effects of the early induction of βARK1 caused by iTAC and effectively preserves βAR levels and function.

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