ABSTRACT
Recent studies have identified several transcription pathways that are crucially involved in generation and progression of cardiac hypertrophy. Especially, nuclear factor of activated T cells and cardiac transcription factors such as myocyte enhancer factor 2 transcription factors and GATA family transcription factors are key regulators for transcriptional regulation during cardiac hypertrophy. Divergent intracellular signals mediate extracellular hypertrophic stimulation and activate these transcription factors. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition have highlighted the significant role of these transcription factors in cardiac hypertrophy, and raised the possibility of the transcriptional pathways as novel therapeutic targets for pathological hypertrophy. In this section, regulatory roles of these transcription factors during development of cardiac hypertrophy are discussed.
