Overlapping and opposing functions of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) and GRK5 during heart development.

ABSTRACT: G protein-coupled receptor kinases 2 (GRK2) and 5 (GRK5) are fundamental regulators of cardiac performance in adults but are less well characterized for their function in the hearts of embryos. GRK2 and -5 belong to different subfamilies and function as competitors in the control of certain receptors and signaling pathways. In this study, we used zebrafish to investigate whether the fish homologs of GRK2 and -5, Grk2/3 and Grk5, also have unique, complementary, or competitive roles during heart development. We found that they differentially regulate the heart rate of early embryos and equally facilitate heart function in older embryos and that both are required to develop proper cardiac morphology. A loss of Grk2/3 results in dilated atria and hypoplastic ventricles, and the hearts of embr

SUBMITTER: Philipp M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4176219 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature