The Effects of Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 on the Process of Heart Failure

Abstract: Many factors such as long time of workload or excessive nerrohumoral signaling system， can activate a pathological response characterized by hypertrophic growth of cardiaomyocytes， rearrangment of myocyte， increased deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and reactivation of fetal cardiac genes. All the above abnormalities will cause pump dysfunction， chamber dilation， myocyte hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis in the heart and therefore lead to heart failure gradually. MEF2 are specific transcription factors， of which the main function is to control the transcription of genes in muscle differentiation， therefore mediate differentiation during the development of skeletal， cardiac and smooth muscle. Recently， MEF2 are shown to participate in the process of myocyte hypertrophy and heart failure， and may provide a new target for the signal pathways during cardiac remodeling.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2008.05.0010