Protein kinase C isoform-selective signals that lead to cardiac hypertrophy and the progression of heart failure.

Protein kinase C isoforms comprise a family of structurally related serine/threonine kinases that are activated by second messenger molecules formed via receptor-dependent activation of phospholipase C. Cardiomyocytes co-express multiple protein kinase C isoforms which play key roles in a spectrum of adaptive and maladaptive cardiac responses. This chapter focuses on the structural features, modes of activation, and distinct cellular actions of individual PKC isoforms in the heart. Particular emphasis is placed on progress that comes from studies in molecular models of PKC isoform overexpression or gene deletion in mice. Recent studies that distinguish the functional properties of novel PKC isoforms (PKC(delta) and PKC(epsilon)) from each other, and from the actions of the conventional PKC isoforms, and suggest that these proteins may play a particularly significant role in pathways leading to cardiac growth and/or cardioprotection also are considered.