Visualising the ionome in resistant and susceptible plant-pathogen interactions.

At the morphological and anatomical levels, the ionome, or the elemental composition of an organism, is an understudied area of plant biology. In particular, the ionomic responses of plant-pathogen interactions are scarcely described, and there are no studies on immune reactions. In this study we explored two X-ray fluorescence (XRF)-based ionome visualisation methods (benchtop- and synchrotron-based micro-XRF [µXRF]), as well as the quantitative inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method, to investigate the changes that occur in the ionome of compatible and incompatible plant-pathogen interactions. We utilised the agronomically important and comprehensively studied interaction between potato (Solanum tuberosum) and the late blight oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans as an example. We used one late blight-susceptible potato cultivar and two resistant transgenic plant lines (only differing from the susceptible cultivar in one or three resistance genes) both in control and P. infestans-inoculated conditions. In the lesions from the compatible interaction, we observed rearrangements of several elements, including a decrease of the mobile macronutrient potassium (K) and an increase in iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), compared with the tissue outside the lesion. Interestingly, we observed distinctly different distribution patterns of accumulation at the site of inoculation in the resistant lines for calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Mn and silicon (Si) compared to the susceptible cultivar. The results reveal different ionomes in diseased plants compared to resistant plants. Our results demonstrate a technical advance and pave the way for deeper studies of the plant-pathogen ionome in the future.

Infection mechanisms and putative effector repertoire of the mosquito pathogenic oomycete Pythium guiyangense uncovered by genomic analysis.

Pythium guiyangense, an oomycete from a genus of mostly plant pathogens, is an effective biological control agent that has wide potential to manage diverse mosquitoes. However, its mosquito-killing mechanisms are almost unknown. In this study, we observed that P. guiyangense could utilize cuticle penetration and ingestion of mycelia into the digestive system to infect mosquito larvae. To explore pathogenic mechanisms, a high-quality genome sequence with 239 contigs and an N50 contig length of 1,009 kb was generated. The genome assembly is approximately 110 Mb, which is almost twice the size of other sequenced Pythium genomes. Further genome analysis suggests that P. guiyangense may arise from a hybridization of two related but distinct parental species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that P. guiyangense likely evolved from common ancestors shared with plant pathogens. Comparative genome analysis coupled with transcriptome sequencing data suggested that P. guiyangense may employ multiple virulence mechanisms to infect mosquitoes, including secreted proteases and kazal-type protease inhibitors. It also shares intracellular Crinkler (CRN) effectors used by plant pathogenic oomycetes to facilitate the colonization of plant hosts. Our experimental evidence demonstrates that CRN effectors of P. guiyangense can be toxic to insect cells. The infection mechanisms and putative virulence effectors of P. guiyangense uncovered by this study provide the basis to develop improved mosquito control strategies. These data also provide useful knowledge on host adaptation and evolution of the entomopathogenic lifestyle within the oomycete lineage. A deeper understanding of the biology of P. guiyangense effectors might also be useful for management of other important agricultural pests.

What are the Top 10 Unanswered Questions in Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions?

This article is part of the Top 10 Unanswered Questions in MPMI invited review series.The past few decades have seen major discoveries in the field of molecular plant-microbe interactions. As the result of technological and intellectual advances, we are now able to answer questions at a level of mechanistic detail that we could not have imagined possible 20 years ago. The MPMI Editorial Board felt it was time to take stock and reassess. What big questions remain unanswered? We knew that to identify the fundamental, overarching questions that drive our research, we needed to do this as a community. To reach a diverse audience of people with different backgrounds and perspectives, working in different areas of plant-microbe interactions, we queried the more than 1,400 participants at the 2019 International Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions meeting in Glasgow. This group effort resulted in a list of ten, broad-reaching, fundamental questions that influence and inform our research. Here, we introduce these Top 10 unanswered questions, giving context and a brief description of the issues. Each of these questions will be the subject of a detailed review in the coming months. We hope that this process of reflecting on what is known and unknown and identifying the themes that underlie our research will provide a framework to use going forward, giving newcomers a sense of the mystery of the big questions and inspiring new avenues and novel insights.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

Effect of RNA silencing suppression activity of chrysanthemum virus B p12 protein on small RNA species.

Chrysanthemum virus B encodes a multifunctional p12 protein that acts as a transcriptional activator in the nucleus and as a suppressor of RNA silencing in the cytoplasm. Here, we investigated the impact of p12 on accumulation of major classes of small RNAs (sRNAs). The results show dramatic changes in the sRNA profiles characterised by an overall reduction in sRNA accumulation, changes in the pattern of size distribution of canonical siRNAs and in the ratio between sense and antisense strands, lower abundance of siRNAs with a U residue at the 5'-terminus, and changes in the expression of certain miRNAs, most of which were downregulated.

Proteomic Analysis of Phytophthora infestans Reveals the Importance of Cell Wall Proteins in Pathogenicity.

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is the most harmful pathogen of potato. It causes the disease late blight, which generates increased yearly costs of up to one billion euro in the EU alone and is difficult to control. We have performed a large-scale quantitative proteomics study of six P. infestans life stages with the aim to identify proteins that change in abundance during development, with a focus on preinfectious life stages. Over 10 000 peptides from 2061 proteins were analyzed. We identified several abundance profiles of proteins that were up- or downregulated in different combinations of life stages. One of these profiles contained 59 proteins that were more abundant in germinated cysts and appressoria. A large majority of these proteins were not previously recognized as being appressorial proteins or involved in the infection process. Among those are proteins with putative roles in transport, amino acid metabolism, pathogenicity (including one RXLR effector) and cell wall structure modification. We analyzed the expression of the genes encoding nine of these proteins using RT-qPCR and found an increase in transcript levels during disease progression, in agreement with the hypothesis that these proteins are important in early infection. Among the nine proteins was a group involved in cell wall structure modification and adhesion, including three closely related, uncharacterized proteins encoded by PITG_01131, PITG_01132, and PITG_16135, here denoted Piacwp1-3 Transient silencing of these genes resulted in reduced severity of infection, indicating that these proteins are important for pathogenicity. Our results contribute to further insight into P. infestans biology, and indicate processes that might be relevant for the pathogen while preparing for host cell penetration and during infection. The mass spectrometry data have been deposited to ProteomeXchange via the PRIDE partner repository with the data set identifier PXD002446.

RNase I regulates Escherichia coli 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide monophosphate levels and biofilm formation.

Regulation of nucleotide and nucleoside concentrations is critical for faithful DNA replication, transcription, and translation in all organisms, and has been linked to bacterial biofilm formation. Unusual 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide monophosphates (2',3'-cNMPs) recently were quantified in mammalian systems, and previous reports have linked these nucleotides to cellular stress and damage in eukaryotes, suggesting an intriguing connection with nucleotide/nucleoside pools and/or cyclic nucleotide signaling. This work reports the first quantification of 2',3'-cNMPs in Escherichia coli and demonstrates that 2',3'-cNMP levels in E. coli are generated specifically from RNase I-catalyzed RNA degradation, presumably as part of a previously unidentified nucleotide salvage pathway. Furthermore, RNase I and 2',3'-cNMP levels are demonstrated to play an important role in controlling biofilm formation. This work identifies a physiological role for cytoplasmic RNase I and constitutes the first progress toward elucidating the biological functions of bacterial 2',3'-cNMPs.

Genome Sequence Resource for the Oomycete Taro Pathogen Phytophthora colocasiae.

Phytophthora colocasiae is a phytopathogenic oomycete that causes leaf blight and corm rot on taro (Colocasia esculenta), an important staple crop in the tropics. The impact of P. colocasiae is a serious concern for food security in Asian and Oceanic regions. Vietnamese strain 7290 of P. colocasiae was sequenced (Illumina) to assemble a draft genome of 56.6 Mb, comprised of 19,853 scaffolds and 19,984 predicted protein-coding genes. As in other Phytophthora species, P. colocasiae possesses numerous pathogenicity-related genes, such as the RxLR class of effectors. This draft genome sequence of P. colocasiae provides a resource to underpin the first steps in determining the molecular mechanisms of disease development in this pathosystem.

Wnt/ß-catenin and sonic hedgehog pathways interact in the regulation of the development of the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion.

BACKGROUND: The dorsal mesenchymal protrusion (DMP) is a second heart field (SHF) derived tissue involved in cardiac septation. Molecular mechanisms controlling SHF/DMP development include the Bone Morphogenetic Protein and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways. Reduced expression of components in these pathways leads to inhibition of proliferation of the SHF/DMP precursor population and failure of the DMP to develop. While the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway has also been demonstrated to be critically important for SHF/DMP development and atrioventricular septation, its role in the regulation of SHF proliferation is contentious. RESULTS: Tissue-specific deletion of the Shh receptor Smoothened from the SHF resulted in compromised DMP formation and atrioventricular septal defects (AVSDs). Immunohistochemical analysis at critical stages of DMP development showed significant proliferation defect as well as reduction in levels of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway-intermediates ß-catenin, Lef1, and Axin2. To determine whether the defects seen in the conditional Smoothened knock-out mouse could be attributed to reduced Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, LiCl, a pharmacological activator of this Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, was administered. This resulted in restoration of proliferation and partial rescue of the AVSD phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented suggest that the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway interact with the Shh pathway in the regulation of SHF/DMP-precursor proliferation and, hence, the development of the DMP.

RNAseq and Proteomics for Analysing Complex Oomycete Plant Interactions.

The oomycetes include some of the most devastating plant pathogens. In this review we discuss the latest results from oomycete and plant studies with emphasis on interaction studies. We focus on the outcomes of RNAseq and proteomics studies and some pitfalls of these approaches. Both pathogenic interactions and biological control are discussed. We underline the usefulness of studies at several levels of complexity from studies of one organism, up to two or more and within agricultural fields (managed settings) up to wild ecosystems. Finally we identify areas of future interest such as detailed interactome studies, dual RNAseq studies, peptide modification studies and population/meta omics with or without biological control agents.

Infection of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus by the oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii induces oxidative stress and halogen metabolism.

Pathogens are increasingly being recognized as key evolutionary and ecological drivers in marine ecosystems. Defence mechanisms of seaweeds, however, have mostly been investigated by mimicking infection using elicitors. We have established an experimental pathosystem between the genome brown model seaweed Ectocarpus siliculosus and the oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii as a powerful new tool to investigate algal responses to infection. Using proteomics, we identified 21 algal proteins differentially accumulated in response to Eu. dicksonii infection. These include classical algal stress response proteins such as a manganese superoxide dismutase, heat shock proteins 70 and a vanadium bromoperoxidase. Transcriptional profiling by qPCR confirmed the induction of the latter during infection. The accumulation of hydrogen peroxide was observed at different infection stages via histochemical staining. Inhibitor studies confirmed that the main source of hydrogen peroxide is superoxide converted by superoxide dismutase. Our data give an unprecedented global overview of brown algal responses to pathogen infection, and highlight the importance of oxidative stress and halogen metabolism in these interactions. This suggests overlapping defence pathways with herbivores and abiotic stresses. We also identify previously unreported actors, in particular a Rad23 and a plastid-lipid-associated protein, providing novel insights into the infection and defence processes in brown algae.

Distinctive expansion of potential virulence genes in the genome of the oomycete fish pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica.

Oomycetes in the class Saprolegniomycetidae of the Eukaryotic kingdom Stramenopila have evolved as severe pathogens of amphibians, crustaceans, fish and insects, resulting in major losses in aquaculture and damage to aquatic ecosystems. We have sequenced the 63 Mb genome of the fresh water fish pathogen, Saprolegnia parasitica. Approximately 1/3 of the assembled genome exhibits loss of heterozygosity, indicating an efficient mechanism for revealing new variation. Comparison of S. parasitica with plant pathogenic oomycetes suggests that during evolution the host cellular environment has driven distinct patterns of gene expansion and loss in the genomes of plant and animal pathogens. S. parasitica possesses one of the largest repertoires of proteases (270) among eukaryotes that are deployed in waves at different points during infection as determined from RNA-Seq data. In contrast, despite being capable of living saprotrophically, parasitism has led to loss of inorganic nitrogen and sulfur assimilation pathways, strikingly similar to losses in obligate plant pathogenic oomycetes and fungi. The large gene families that are hallmarks of plant pathogenic oomycetes such as Phytophthora appear to be lacking in S. parasitica, including those encoding RXLR effectors, Crinkler's, and Necrosis Inducing-Like Proteins (NLP). S. parasitica also has a very large kinome of 543 kinases, 10% of which is induced upon infection. Moreover, S. parasitica encodes several genes typical of animals or animal-pathogens and lacking from other oomycetes, including disintegrins and galactose-binding lectins, whose expression and evolutionary origins implicate horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of animal pathogenesis in S. parasitica.

Expression of the BMP receptor Alk3 in the second heart field is essential for development of the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion and atrioventricular septation.

RATIONALE: The dorsal mesenchymal protrusion (DMP) is a prong of mesenchyme derived from the second heart field (SHF) located at the venous pole of the developing heart. Recent studies have shown that perturbation of its development is associated with the pathogenesis of atrioventricular (AV) septal defect. Although the importance of the DMP to AV septation is now established, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying its development are far from fully understood. Prior studies have demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is essential for proper formation of the AV endocardial cushions and the cardiac outflow tract. A role for BMP signaling in regulation of DMP development remained to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of BMP signaling in DMP development. METHODS AND RESULTS: Conditional deletion of the BMP receptor Alk3 from venous pole SHF cells leads to impaired formation of the DMP and a completely penetrant phenotype of ostium primum defect, a hallmark feature of AV septal defects. Analysis of mutants revealed decreased proliferative index of SHF cells and, consequently, reduced number of SHF cells at the cardiac venous pole. In contrast, volume and expression of markers associated with proliferation and active BMP/transforming growth factor ß signaling were not significantly altered in the AV cushions of SHF-Alk3 mutants. CONCLUSIONS: BMP signaling is required for expansion of the SHF-derived DMP progenitor population at the cardiac venous pole. Perturbation of Alk3-mediated BMP signaling from the SHF results in impaired development of the DMP and ostium primum defects.

Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans.

Phytophthora infestans is the most destructive pathogen of potato and a model organism for the oomycetes, a distinct lineage of fungus-like eukaryotes that are related to organisms such as brown algae and diatoms. As the agent of the Irish potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, P. infestans has had a tremendous effect on human history, resulting in famine and population displacement. To this day, it affects world agriculture by causing the most destructive disease of potato, the fourth largest food crop and a critical alternative to the major cereal crops for feeding the world's population. Current annual worldwide potato crop losses due to late blight are conservatively estimated at $6.7 billion. Management of this devastating pathogen is challenged by its remarkable speed of adaptation to control strategies such as genetically resistant cultivars. Here we report the sequence of the P. infestans genome, which at approximately 240 megabases (Mb) is by far the largest and most complex genome sequenced so far in the chromalveolates. Its expansion results from a proliferation of repetitive DNA accounting for approximately 74% of the genome. Comparison with two other Phytophthora genomes showed rapid turnover and extensive expansion of specific families of secreted disease effector proteins, including many genes that are induced during infection or are predicted to have activities that alter host physiology. These fast-evolving effector genes are localized to highly dynamic and expanded regions of the P. infestans genome. This probably plays a crucial part in the rapid adaptability of the pathogen to host plants and underpins its evolutionary potential.

Antiproliferative small-molecule inhibitors of transcription factor LSF reveal oncogene addiction to LSF in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Despite the prevalence of HCC, there is no effective, systemic treatment. The transcription factor LSF is a promising protein target for chemotherapy; it is highly expressed in HCC patient samples and cell lines, and promotes oncogenesis in rodent xenograft models of HCC. Here, we identify small molecules that effectively inhibit LSF cellular activity. The lead compound, factor quinolinone inhibitor 1 (FQI1), inhibits LSF DNA-binding activity both in vitro, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and in cells, as determined by ChIP. Consistent with such inhibition, FQI1 eliminates transcriptional stimulation of LSF-dependent reporter constructs. FQI1 also exhibits antiproliferative activity in multiple cell lines. In LSF-overexpressing cells, including HCC cells, cell death is rapidly induced; however, primary or immortalized hepatocytes are unaffected by treatment with FQI1. The highly concordant structure-activity relationship of a panel of 23 quinolinones strongly suggests that the growth inhibitory activity is due to a single biological target or family. Coupled with the striking agreement between the concentrations required for antiproliferative activity (GI(50)s) and for inhibition of LSF transactivation (IC(50)s), we conclude that LSF is the specific biological target of FQIs. Based on these in vitro results, we tested the efficacy of FQI1 in inhibiting HCC tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. As a single agent, tumor growth was dramatically inhibited with no observable general tissue cytotoxicity. These findings support the further development of LSF inhibitors for cancer chemotherapy.

parkin-induced defects in neurophysiology and locomotion are generated by metabolic dysfunction and not oxidative stress.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by movement disorders, including bradykinesia. Analysis of inherited, juvenile PD, identified several genes linked via a common pathway to mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, we demonstrate that the larva of the Drosophila parkin mutant faithfully models the locomotory and metabolic defects of PD and is an excellent system for investigating their inter-relationship. parkin larvae displayed a marked bradykinesia that was caused by a reduction in both the frequency of peristalsis and speed of muscle contractions. Rescue experiments confirmed that this phenotype was due to a defect in the nervous system and not in the muscle. Furthermore, recordings of motoneuron activity in parkin larvae revealed reduced bursting and a striking reduction in evoked and miniature excitatory junction potentials, suggesting a neuronal deficit. This was supported by our observations in parkin larvae that the resting potential was depolarized, oxygen consumption and ATP concentration were drastically reduced while lactate was increased. These findings suggest that neuronal mitochondrial respiration is severely compromised and there is a compensatory switch to glycolysis for energy production. parkin mutants also possessed overgrown neuromuscular synapses, indicative of oxidative stress, which could be rescued by overexpression of parkin or scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Surprisingly, scavengers of ROS did not rescue the resting membrane potential and locomotory phenotypes. We therefore propose that mitochondrial dysfunction in parkin mutants induces Parkinsonian bradykinesia via a neuronal energy deficit and resulting synaptic failure, rather than as a consequence of downstream oxidative stress.

Bicaudal-D binds clathrin heavy chain to promote its transport and augments synaptic vesicle recycling.

Cargo transport by microtubule-based motors is essential for cell organisation and function. The Bicaudal-D (BicD) protein participates in the transport of a subset of cargoes by the minus-end-directed motor dynein, although the full extent of its functions is unclear. In this study, we report that in Drosophila zygotic BicD function is only obligatory in the nervous system. Clathrin heavy chain (Chc), a major constituent of coated pits and vesicles, is the most abundant protein co-precipitated with BicD from head extracts. BicD binds Chc directly and interacts genetically with components of the pathway for clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking. Directed transport and subcellular localisation of Chc is strongly perturbed in BicD mutant presynaptic boutons. Functional assays show that BicD and dynein are essential for the maintenance of normal levels of neurotransmission specifically during high-frequency electrical stimulation and that this is associated with a reduced rate of recycling of internalised synaptic membrane. Our results implicate BicD as a new player in clathrin-associated trafficking processes and show a novel requirement for microtubule-based motor transport in the synaptic vesicle cycle.

Oxidative stress induces overgrowth of the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.

Synaptic terminals are known to expand and contract throughout an animal's life. The physiological constraints and demands that regulate appropriate synaptic growth and connectivity are currently poorly understood. In previous work, we identified a Drosophila model of lysosomal storage disease (LSD), spinster (spin), with larval neuromuscular synapse overgrowth. Here we identify a reactive oxygen species (ROS) burden in spin that may be attributable to previously identified lipofuscin deposition and lysosomal dysfunction, a cellular hallmark of LSD. Reducing ROS in spin mutants rescues synaptic overgrowth and electrophysiological deficits. Synapse overgrowth was also observed in mutants defective for protection from ROS and animals subjected to excessive ROS. ROS are known to stimulate JNK and fos signaling. Furthermore, JNK and fos in turn are known potent activators of synapse growth and function. Inhibiting JNK and fos activity in spin rescues synapse overgrowth and electrophysiological deficits. Similarly, inhibiting JNK, fos, and jun activity in animals with excessive oxidative stress rescues the overgrowth phenotype. These data suggest that ROS, via activation of the JNK signaling pathway, are a major regulator of synapse overgrowth. In LSD, increased autophagy contributes to lysosomal storage and, presumably, elevated levels of oxidative stress. In support of this suggestion, we report here that impaired autophagy function reverses synaptic overgrowth in spin. Our data describe a previously unexplored link between oxidative stress and synapse overgrowth via the JNK signaling pathway.

Epicardially derived fibroblasts preferentially contribute to the parietal leaflets of the atrioventricular valves in the murine heart.

The importance of the epicardium for myocardial and valvuloseptal development has been well established; perturbation of epicardial development results in cardiac abnormalities, including thinning of the ventricular myocardial wall and malformations of the atrioventricular valvuloseptal complex. To determine the spatiotemporal contribution of epicardially derived cells to the developing fibroblast population in the heart, we have used a mWt1/IRES/GFP-Cre mouse to trace the fate of EPDCs from embryonic day (ED)10 until birth. EPDCs begin to populate the compact ventricular myocardium around ED12. The migration of epicardially derived fibroblasts toward the interface between compact and trabecular myocardium is completed around ED14. Remarkably, epicardially derived fibroblasts do not migrate into the trabecular myocardium until after ED17. Migration of EPDCs into the atrioventricular cushion mesenchyme commences around ED12. As development progresses, the number of EPDCs increases significantly, specifically in the leaflets which derive from the lateral atrioventricular cushions. In these developing leaflets the epicardially derived fibroblasts eventually largely replace the endocardially derived cells. Importantly, the contribution of EPDCs to the leaflets derived from the major AV cushions is very limited. The differential contribution of EPDCs to the various leaflets of the atrioventricular valves provides a new paradigm in valve development and could lead to new insights into the pathogenesis of abnormalities that preferentially affect individual components of this region of the heart. The notion that there is a significant difference in the contribution of epicardially and endocardially derived cells to the individual leaflets of the atrioventricular valves has also important pragmatic consequences for the use of endocardial and epicardial cre-mouse models in studies of heart development.

Myosin light chain phosphorylation is critical for adaptation to cardiac stress.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac hypertrophy is a common response to circulatory or neurohumoral stressors as a mechanism to augment contractility. When the heart is under sustained stress, the hypertrophic response can evolve into decompensated heart failure, although the mechanism(s) underlying this transition remain largely unknown. Because phosphorylation of cardiac myosin light chain 2 (MLC2v), bound to myosin at the head-rod junction, facilitates actin-myosin interactions and enhances contractility, we hypothesized that phosphorylation of MLC2v plays a role in the adaptation of the heart to stress. We previously identified an enzyme that predominantly phosphorylates MLC2v in cardiomyocytes, cardiac myosin light-chain kinase (cMLCK), yet the role(s) played by cMLCK in regulating cardiac function in health and disease remain to be determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We found that pressure overload induced by transaortic constriction in wild-type mice reduced phosphorylated MLC2v levels by ≈40% and cMLCK levels by ≈85%. To examine how a reduction in cMLCK and the corresponding reduction in phosphorylated MLC2v affect function, we generated Mylk3 gene-targeted mice and transgenic mice overexpressing cMLCK specifically in cardiomyocytes. Pressure overload led to severe heart failure in cMLCK knockout mice but not in mice with cMLCK overexpression in which cMLCK protein synthesis exceeded degradation. The reduction in cMLCK protein during pressure overload was attenuated by inhibition of ubiquitin-proteasome protein degradation systems. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the novel idea that accelerated cMLCK protein turnover by the ubiquitin-proteasome system underlies the transition from compensated hypertrophy to decompensated heart failure as a result of reduced phosphorylation of MLC2v.