Enzyme Triggers Cell Death in Heart Attack

Summary
An enzyme named CaM kinase II is now found to be linked to the death of heart cells after a heart attack or damaging stress to the heart muscle. Losing heart cells are permanent and heart failure usually follows, and 5.8 million people in the US are affected by heart failure. This process happens in the cell, specifically the energy producing organelle, mitochondria. In a heart cell the energy the mitochondrions create are used to fuel each heartbeat, but when mitochondria stops functioning, the heart cells start to die. New studies show that increased enzyme activity promotes leakiness of mitochondria by allowing too much calcium to enter the organelle, and then the cells die, which results in increased heart muscle damage and cell death. Scientists, testing on genetically modified mice, discovered that by resisting the enzyme activity in mitochondria the mice were protected from heart cell death during heart attacks. This discovery can lead to new effective therapies for common heart disease.
 
Relevance
This study is related to what we have learned, because it is talks about enzymes and how it can be damaging to cells. Although we learned about how it is beneficial to cells, this article suggests that enzyme activity can lead to the death of heart cells. Also it is about cells, and how if a major organelle stops functioning properly it can lead to the death of it. The organelle is mitochondria and we have learned that this organelle creates energy so that the cell can carry out its normal functions. But if the mitochondria isn't working properly there isn't any energy for cell activities. We are learning about cell and organelle functions now.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121011162154.htm
Science Daily
Article published Oct. 11, 2012