| Grant number: | 06/54878-3 |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |
| Start date: | July 01, 2007 |
| End date: | September 30, 2011 |
| Field of knowledge: | Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics |
| Principal Investigator: | Kleber Gomes Franchini |
| Grantee: | Kleber Gomes Franchini |
| Host Institution: | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
| City of the host institution: | Campinas |
| Associated scholarship(s): | 11/01356-8 - Functional and Structural Analysis of the Cardiac Proteins Associated to the Z Disc, Calsarcin and Enigma,
BP.DR 11/01538-9 - Structural Studies of Shp2 mutants, BP.PD 10/17086-7 - Investigation of cellular localization focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and mutant FAK (FAKY397F) in cardiomiocytes in vitro and in genetically modified mice, BP.DR + associated scholarships - associated scholarships |
Abstract
The most prevalent heart diseases (e.g. hypertensive, ischemic) increase the mass (i.e. hypertrophy) and change the shape (i.e. remodeling) of left ventricle. These changes are paralleled by complex and progressive alterations in the myocardial structure, featured by hypertrophy and degeneration of cardiac myocytes and interstitial fibrosis. The impairment of myocardial function that accompanies these structural abnormalities culminates in heart failure. Chronic increase in the mechanical load is a critical determinant of the myocardial structural abnormalities, mainly cardiac myocytes hypertrophy. A great deal of effort has been devoted to finding signaling mechanisms involved in the responses of cardiac myocytes to mechanical forces. It is expected that the identification of such mechanisms will provide novel therapeutic opportunities to cardiac hypertrophy and failure. In a similar manner, understanding the molecular logic of hypertrophy and heart failure will ultimately require forming mechanistic connections between defined clinical disease surrogates with specific positive and negative molecular checkpoints that arise at specific stages during the natural temporal progression of this chronic disease. The studies of our laboratory have been directed to these two major frontiers. We have previously demonstrated the critical role of a signaling network that includes FAK (focal adhesion kinase) and the transcription factors of the MEF2 family, as mediators of the phenotypic alterations of cardiac myocytes in response to mechanical stress. In the clinic ¬pathophysiological scenario we have shown the early functional deterioration of the hypertrophic myocardium in hypertensive subjects, and the reversibility of the unfavorable clinical and prognostic indices in response to mechanical unloading produced by left ventricular reconstruction in patients with heart failure after myocardial infarction. Our present proposal includes 10 sub-projects devoted 1) to study the molecular mechanisms of FAK activation by mechanical stress; 2) to study the effects of RNA interference specific to FAK and other signaling molecules (SHP2, αB-Cristalina e MEF2) possibly involved in the mechanic¬ transduction in cardiac myocytes; 3) to study the molecular mechanisms coordinated by FAK in the transcriptional regulation in cardiac myocytes; 4) to find compounds that might potentially inhibit FAK activity; 5) to determine FAK expression and activity in the remote areas of the left ventricle in patients with chronic myocardial infarction and correlate such findings with clinical evolution after left ventricular reconstruction surgery; and 6) to determine the mechanisms responsible for the early functional alterations in the left ventricle of hypertensive patients. (AU)
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