microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are essential in cardiac hypertrophy and in the development of heart failure. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether the restoration of miRNA-455 (miR-455) gene expression in vivo aggravates hypertrophy, but …

Consistent protocols for the assessment of diastolic and systolic cardiac function to assure the comparability of existing data on preclinical models are missing. Calcineurin transgene (CN) mice are a preclinical model for hypertrophic and failing hearts. …

Despite intensive research, the pathways that mediate calcium (Ca(2+))-stimulated glucose transport in striated muscle remain elusive. Since the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) pump tightly regulates cytosolic [Ca(2+)], we investigated …

AIMS: Genetic mouse models have yielded conflicting conclusions about the role of PI3Kα in heart physiology: specifically, the question of whether PI3Kα has a direct role in regulating myocardial contractility. This has led to concerns that PI3K …

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a critical role in the cardiac remodeling contributing to heart failure. However, the gene expression profiles induced by Ang II in the early stage of cardiac remodeling remain unknown.\n\nMETHODS: Wild-type …

Background-—Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by impaired contractility of cardiomyocytes, ventricular chamber dilatation, and systolic dysfunction. Although mutations in genes expressed in the cardiomyocyte are the best described causes of reduced …

Urate is the metabolic end point of purines in humans. Although supra-physiological plasma urate levels are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, a causative role is debated. We previously established a mouse model …

Clinical use of doxorubicin (DOX) in cancer therapy is limited by its dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. But molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been well defined. This study was to investigate the effect of DOX on the changes of global …

Neonatal mouse hearts fully regenerate after ventricular resection similar to adult zebrafish. We established cryoinjury models to determine if different types and varying degrees of severity in cardiac injuries trigger different responses in neonatal …

Background—Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is often implicated in contributing to the detrimental effects of cardiac injury. This ostensibly negative view of NF-κB competes with its important role in the normal host inflammatory and immune response. We have …