Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 19, 2026

An Approach to Study Shape-Dependent Transcriptomics at a Single Cell Level
06:02

An Approach to Study Shape-Dependent Transcriptomics at a Single Cell Level

Published on: November 2, 2020

Protein kinase cascades in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy

Gerald W Dorn1, Thomas Force

  • 1Heart and Vascular Center, Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0542, USA. dorngw@ucmail.uc.edu

The Journal of Clinical Investigation
|March 15, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac growth differs by type: normal/physiologic via growth hormone/IGF and PI3K/Akt, while pathologic growth uses neurohormonal factors and Gq/PLC signaling. Animal models aid target identification.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Cardiac hypertrophy presents in three forms: normal growth, physiologic (exercise-induced), and pathologic.
  • Physiologic cardiac growth is largely mediated by the growth hormone/IGF-1 axis through PI3K/Akt signaling.
  • Pathologic cardiac growth is initiated by neurohormonal factors and biomechanical stress, activating the Gq/PLC pathway, increasing intracellular calcium, and activating PKC.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding cardiotrophic kinases.
  • To highlight the role of animal models in identifying molecular targets for cardiac hypertrophy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature on cardiac hypertrophy signaling pathways.
  • Analysis of data from animal models investigating cardiotrophic kinases.

Main Results:

  • Normal and exercise-induced cardiac growth are regulated by the growth hormone/IGF axis via PI3K/Akt.
  • Pathologic cardiac growth is triggered by neurohormonal factors and biomechanical stress, involving Gq/PLC and PKC signaling.

Conclusions:

  • Distinct signaling pathways regulate different types of cardiac hypertrophy.
  • Animal models are crucial for elucidating molecular mechanisms and identifying therapeutic targets for human cardiac hypertrophy.

Related Concept Videos

cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways01:25

cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways

Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) is an essential second messenger that activates protein kinase A (PKA) and regulates various biological processes. A single epinephrine molecule binds to GPCR and activates several heterotrimeric G proteins, each stimulating multiple adenylyl cyclase, amplifying the signal, and synthesizing large numbers of cAMP molecules. Small changes in cAMP concentration affect PKA activity. The binding of four cAMP molecules induces a conformational change in PKA,...
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze the...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors01:27

Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are cell-surface receptors acting as an enzyme or associating with an enzyme intracellularly. They make excellent drug targets. Drugs can bind to the extracellular ligand-binding domain or directly affect their enzymatic domain and alter their activity.
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy01:26

Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is the increase in the size of individual cells, resulting in the enlargement of a tissue or organ. Unlike hyperplasia, which involves an increase in cell number, hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in cell volume. This process often occurs in response to higher functional demand or hormonal stimulation, leading to the production of more structural proteins and organelles, thereby enhancing the cells' work capacity.There are two primary types of hypertrophy: physiological...
Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...