Mitochondrial dynamics: molecular mechanisms and the role in the heart.

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles which actively move along the cytoskeleton within the cell, change their shape and undergo fusion and fission. The heart is a metabolically active organ with high energy demands and rich in mitochondria. Mitochondria not only supply the heart with the high energy compound, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), but also actively participate in cell signaling and apoptotic events and communicate with the cytosol. Recent advantages in molecular biology and imaging techniques helped to study mitochondrial dynamics directly in the cell and under real time conditions. In this review, I will briefly summarize current knowledge about molecular machinery mediating mitochondrial fusion/ fission, its link to apoptosis and cardiovascular disease.

Functional effects and molecular mechanisms of subtype-selective ERalpha and ERbeta agonists in the cardiovascular system.

Gender differences in the development of cardiovascular disease suggested for a protective function of estrogens in heart disease. The negative or neutral outcome of clinical trials on hormone replacement therapy provides clear evidence that the role of female sex hormones in the cardiovascular system is more complex than previously thought. In particular, the function of estrogens can not be understood without detailed knowledge on the specific function of both estrogen receptor subtypes in the heart and in the vasculature. In here, we review recent studies on subtype selective ERalpha and ERbeta agonists in different animal models of hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and vascular inflammation. The results indicate that the activation of specific ER subtypes confers specific as well as redundant protective effects in hypertensive heart disease that might ultimately translate into novel treatment options for hypertensive heart disease.

Estrogen effects in the myocardium: inhibition of NF-kappaB DNA binding by estrogen receptor-alpha and -beta.

We have previously shown that estrogen effects in the heart include direct hormone effects on the myocardium. In a recent study we found that one beneficial effect of estradiol on the myocardium is the inhibition of apoptosis in cardiac myocytes. This effect was associated with a reduction of NF-kappaB activity. In the present study we have analyzed the functional mechanism of NF-kappaB inhibition in the myocardium by estrogen receptors-alpha and -beta. Despite the previous finding that 17-beta-estradiol (10 nM) inhibited the staurosporine-induced binding of p65/p50 NF-kappaB complexes to their cognate DNA elements in cultured rat cardiac myocytes, myocyte extracts showed no change in expression or cellular localization of p65, p50, and IkappaB upon staurosporine or estradiol treatment. Addition of either estrogen receptor-alpha or estrogen receptor-beta as recombinant protein was sufficient to inhibit staurosporine-dependent p65/p50 DNA binding in cardiac myocytes. 17-beta-Estradiol inhibits staurosporine-induced p65/p50 DNA binding associated with apoptotic cell death of cardiac myocytes via estrogen receptors-alpha and -beta. This is not associated with changes in p65, p50 and IkappaB expression or subcellular localization. Thus, inhibition of NF-kappaB activity by estrogenic compounds might inhibit NF-kappaB dependent gene expression such as pro-inflammatory cytokines in the myocardium.