Molecular mechanics behind heart cell restructuring revealed

Microtubules, part of heart muscle cells' internal "skeleton," help determine how the heart changes shape under stress, and a common signaling pathway called the ERK pathway acts as a key controller of where the building materials for these cells' growth are delivered inside them, a pair of new studies show.

These findings, from a team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, point to possible new ways to address harmful heart remodeling that can be linked to heart failure. ...