The Potential of Gamma Secretase as a Therapeutic Target for Cardiac Diseases
Sujoita Sen1, Logan Hallee2, Chi Keung Lam1
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
Insights
Gamma-secretase, an enzyme, may offer new therapeutic targets for heart diseases. Modulating its activity could potentially improve cardiac function and combat cardiovascular disorders.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Molecular Biology
- Enzymology
Background:
- Heart diseases represent a major global health burden, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
- Gamma-secretase is an enzyme involved in cleaving substrates crucial for cardiac development and function.
- Understanding gamma-secretase's role in cardiac pathways is key to developing new treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on gamma-secretase substrates and their relevance to heart diseases.
- To explore the potential of gamma-secretase as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disorders.
- To assess whether modulating gamma-secretase activity could benefit cardiac health in disease states.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on gamma-secretase, its substrates, and cardiac function.
- Analysis of signaling pathways and crosstalk relevant to heart disease.
- Examination of mutation studies implicating gamma-secretase in cardiac development.
Main Results:
- Gamma-secretase processes substrates vital for normal cardiac function.
- Several substrates and signaling events modulated by gamma-secretase show potential benefits for cardiac health.
- Evidence suggests a link between gamma-secretase activity and pathways relevant to heart disease.
Conclusions:
- Gamma-secretase represents a promising therapeutic target for heart diseases.
- Modulation of gamma-secretase activity warrants further investigation for treating cardiovascular conditions.
- Targeting gamma-secretase could offer a novel approach to improve cardiac function and patient outcomes.
Abstract:
Heart diseases are some of the most common and pressing threats to human health worldwide. The American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health jointly work to annually update data on cardiac diseases. In 2018, 126.9 million Americans were reported as having some form of cardiac disorder, with an estimated direct and indirect total cost of USD 363.4 billion. This necessitates developing therapeutic interventions for heart diseases to improve human life expectancy and economic relief. In this review, we look into gamma-secretase as a potential therapeutic target for cardiac diseases. Gamma-secretase, an aspartyl protease enzyme, is responsible for the cleavage and activation of a number of substrates that are relevant to normal cardiac development and function as found in mutation studies. Some of these substrates are involved in downstream signaling processes and crosstalk with pathways relevant to heart diseases. Most of the substrates and signaling events we explored were found to be potentially beneficial to maintain cardiac function in diseased conditions. This review presents an updated overview of the current knowledge on gamma-secretase processing of cardiac-relevant substrates and seeks to understand if the modulation of gamma-secretase activity would be beneficial to combat cardiac diseases.
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