INHIBITION OF PROTEIN KINASE C-MU (PKD) AS A TREATMENT FOR CARDIAC HYPERTROPHY AND HEART FAILURE

摘要

The present invention provides for methods of treating and preventing cardia c hypertrophy and heart failure. MEF-2 and Class II HDACs has been shown to ha ve a major role in cardiac hypertrophy and heart disease, and inhibition of cla ss II HDAC~s has been shown to have a beneficial, anti-hypertrophic effect. The present invention provides the link between MEF-2 and class II HDAC~s, a kinase known as PKD. The present invention further demonstrates that inhibitors of PKD inhibit cardiac hypertrophy and heart disease by inhibitin g, in part, the fetal cardiac gene expression and cellular reorganization that occurs when MEF-2 dependent transcription is inhibited.