Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Feng N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4330748 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Feng Ning N Huke Sabine S Zhu Guangshuo G Tocchetti Carlo G CG Shi Sa S Aiba Takeshi T Kaludercic Nina N Hoover Donald B DB Beck Sarah E SE Mankowski Joseph L JL Tomaselli Gordon F GF Bers Donald M DM Kass David A DA Paolocci Nazareno N
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20150112 6
BDNF and its associated tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) nurture vessels and nerves serving the heart. However, the direct effect of BDNF/TrkB signaling on the myocardium is poorly understood. Here we report that cardiac-specific TrkB knockout mice (TrkB(-/-)) display impaired cardiac contraction and relaxation, showing that BDNF/TrkB signaling acts constitutively to sustain in vivo myocardial performance. BDNF enhances normal cardiomyocyte Ca(2+) cycling, contractility, and relaxati ...[more]