Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing kinases (ROCK) were originally identified as\neffectors of the RhoA small GTPase and found to belong to the AGC family of serine/threonine\nkinases. They were shown to be downstream effectors of RhoA and RhoC activation. They signal\nvia phosphorylation of proteins such as MYPT-1, thereby regulating many key cellular functions\nincluding proliferation, motility and viability and the RhoA/ROCK signaling has been shown to be\ndeeply involved in arterial hypertension, cardiovascularâ??renal remodeling, hypertensive\nnephropathy and posttransplant hypertension. Given the deep involvement of ROCK in\ncardiovascularâ??renal pathophysiology and the interaction of ROCK signaling with other signaling\npathways, the reports of trials on the clinical beneficial effects of ROCKâ??s pharmacologic targeting\nare growing. In this current review, we provide a brief survey of the current understanding of\nROCK-signaling pathways, also integrating with the more novel data that overall support a relevant\nrole of ROCK for the cardiovascular-renal physiology and pathophysiology.
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