Combined Deficiency of Dystrophin and β1 Integrin in the Cardiac Myocyte Causes Myocardial Dysfunction, Fibrosis and Calcification.

The article presents a study which showed that combined deficiency of dystrophin and integrins in murine cardiac myocytes leads to more severe cardiomyopathic changes in the stressed myocardium. Mdx mice were crossed to those with cardiac myocyte-specific deletion of Β (ΒKO) integrin to produce Β1KOmdx. It was found that matrix y-carboxyglutamic acid protein, decorin, periostin, and the osteoblast transcription factor Runx2/Cbfal increased in cardiac muscle of Β1KO.