The role of regulation of PTEN gene in signal transduction pathways related to cardiac hypertrophy and chronic heart failure

Abstract

This review focuses on the current and past state of understanding with regards to the function of PTEN gene in signalling pathways in chronic heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy and explores how PTEN signalling is modified in the same. The role of PTEN in both pathological and physiological cardiac hypertrophy and how regulation and dysregulation contribute to chronic heart failures and cardiac hypertrophy are also discussed. The modulation of transduction pathway by PTEN with regards to cardiac re-modelling, hypertrophy, phenotypic modulation, and apoptosis in both healthy and hypertrophic hearts are talked over. Targeted regulation of PTEN gene in signal transduction pathway forms the basis of development of new PTEN modifying therapies for use in chronic heart failures and related cardiovascular diseases. Signalling pathways are implicated in both pathological and physiological cardiac hypertrophy. These signals involve various protein kinases and activation or inactivation of specific genes that have a role in cardiomyocyte proliferation and apoptosis