Endoplasmic reticulum stress and heart diseases

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional organelle responsible for the synthesis and folding of proteins, calcium storage and synthesis of lipid. Perturbations of ER functional homeostasis result in accumulation of misfolded or unfolded protein in ER, which induces a series of cellular responses (ER stress) through proportional signaling pathway. It is reported that ER stress contributes to development of diseases of heart, including myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, cardiomyopathy and heart failure, et al. ER stress might be a novel therapeutic target in heart diseases.PubMed02106-104