We have cloned cDNA encoding a human transcription factor that belongs to the MEF2 (myocyte-specific enhancer-binding factor 2) subfamily of the MADS (MCM1-agamous-deficiens-serum response factor) gene family. This factor, which we have named MEF2C, binds specifically to the MEF2 element and activates transcription via this element. Specific isoforms of this factor are found exclusively in brai...

AIMS Hcn4, which encodes the hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-sensitive channel (I(h)), is a well-established marker of the cardiac sino-atrial node. We aimed to identify cis-elements in the genomic locus of the Hcn4 gene that regulate the transcription of Hcn4. METHODS AND RESULTS We screened evolutionarily conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) that are often involved in the re...

Objective(s):  Coronary artery disease (CAD) which may lead to myocardial infarction (MI) is a complex one. Great effort has been devoted to identification of genes that increase susceptibility to CAD or provide protection. A 21-bp deletion in the MEF2A gene, which encodes a member of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 family of transcription factors, has been reported in patients of a single pedigr...

Abstract Background The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/angiotensin 1–7 (Ang-(1–7)) axis has been shown to protect against the age-associated decline in skeletal muscle function. Here, we investigated protective effects of ACE2 mitigating function and identify potential underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods We measured expression levels Ang-(1–7) C57BL/6J mice different ages correlate...

BACKGROUND In animal studies, diabetes has been shown to induce changes in gene expression of key regulators in cardiac energy metabolism and calcium homeostasis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that metabolic gene expression in nonischemic failing hearts of diabetic patients differs from that in nonischemic failing hearts of nondiabetic patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Left ventr...

Longitudinal growth of endochondral bones is accomplished through the co-ordinated proliferation and hypertrophic differentiation of growth plate chondrocytes. The molecular mechanisms and signalling cascades controlling these processes are not well understood. To analyse the expression and roles of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in this process, we have established a micromass system fo...

BACKGROUND Cardiac myocyte hypertrophy is regulated by an extensive intracellular signal transduction network. In vitro evidence suggests that the scaffold protein muscle A-kinase anchoring protein β (mAKAPβ) serves as a nodal organizer of hypertrophic signaling. However, the relevance of mAKAPβ signalosomes to pathological remodeling and heart failure in vivo remains unknown. METHODS AND RES...

The activity-dependent transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) induces excitatory synapse elimination in mouse neurons, which requires fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein implicated in human cognitive dysfunction and autism. We report here that protocadherin 10 (Pcdh10), an autism-spectrum disorders gene, is necessary for this process. MEF2 and FMRP...