Published online May 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i5.304
Revised: February 27, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: May 26, 2014
Processing time: 163 Days and 13.7 Hours
Cell adhesive junction is specialized intercellular structure composed of cell adhesion proteins. They are essential to connect adjacent heart muscle cell and make heart contraction effectively and properly. Clinical and genetic studies have revealed close relationship between cell adhesive proteins and the occurrence of various cardiomyopathies. Here we will review recent development on the disease phenotype, potential cellular and molecular mechanism related to cell adhesion molecules, with particular disease pathogenesis learned from genetic manipulated murine models.
Core tip: Cell adhesive junction is a specialized intercellular structure in the heart, and essential to maintain heart contractile function. Alterations in adhesive proteins have been found to lead to various forms of cardiomyopathy. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying heart muscle dysfunction caused by those cell adhesive molecules have not been completely understood. This review provides most recent development on cellular composition of the cell adhesion proteins and their related gene mutations, disease phenotypes, potential mechanisms involved in cardiomyopathies.