G<sub>s</sub>-coupled GPCR signalling is regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRK) and arrestin proteins, and dysregulation of Gs/GPCR signalling is thought play a role in the development of hypertension, which may be a consequence of enhanced GRK2 and/or arrestin expression.
G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) mediated activation of the MAPK signalling cascade is a key pathway in the induction of hypertrophic remodelling of the heart - a response to pathological cues including hypertension and myocardial infarction.
These include the contribution of variants of the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) protein to hypertension; the role variants of the activator of G protein signaling (AGS) proteins to phenotypes (such as the type III AGS8 variant to hypoxia); the contribution of G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) proteins, such as GRK4, in disorders such as hypertension.
In the case of the G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), identified originally in the retinal tissues that converge on rhodopsin, proteins such as GRK4 have been identified that have been subsequently associated with hypertension.
In addition, an 'uncoupling' of the G-protein-coupled receptor/G-protein complex is the principal mechanism underlying impaired G-protein-coupled-receptor-mediated vasodilatation in hypertension.
In Japanese patients with newly diagnosed, untreated hypertension (n = 184), we studied polymorphisms in 10 genes, including G protein-coupled receptor kinase type 4 (GRK4), some variations of which are associated with hypertension and impair D1 receptor (D1R)-inhibited renal sodium transport.
G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) are implicated in the pathophysiology of human diseases such as arterial hypertension, heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis.