<p>Intracellular calcium (Ca<sup>2+</sup>) homeostasis is a central determinant of cardiometabolic physiology, integrating excitation–contraction coupling, metabolic signaling, and stress adaptation across multiple organs. The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca<sup>2+</sup>-ATPase (SERCA), regulated by the micropeptides phospholamban (PLN) and dwarf open reading frame (DWORF), governs ER/SR Ca<sup>2+</sup> reuptake and thereby shapes Ca<sup>2+</sup>-dependent signaling dynamics. Dysregulation of the SERCA–PLN–DWORF axis is increasingly recognized as a shared pathogenic mechanism in type 2 diabetes–related complications, including diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), where reduced SERCA2a activity prolongs diastolic Ca<sup>2+</sup> clearance and promotes calcineurin–NFAT activation and mitochondrial Ca<sup>2</sup>⁺ overload. In the liver, loss of SERCA2b activity promotes chronic ER stress, Ca<sup>2+</sup>–phosphoinositide complex formation, insulin resistance, and fibrotic activation, thereby linking Ca<sup>2+</sup> dysregulation to progressive metabolic liver injury in metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH). These observations position Ca<sup>2+</sup> dysregulation as a unifying mechanism across the cardiometabolic disease continuum, spanning myocardial dysfunction, systemic insulin resistance, and progressive fatty liver disease. Therapeutic strategies targeting the SERCA–PLN–DWORF axis, including SERCA activators, PLN-directed antisense oligonucleotides, DWORF gene therapy, and CRISPR-based modulation, have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models by improving Ca<sup>2</sup>⁺ handling and alleviating metabolic or contractile stress. Further studies are required to determine the translational feasibility, long-term safety, and optimal patient subsets for SERCA-targeted interventions in cardiometabolic disease.</p>

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The SERCA–PLN–DWORF axis in cardiometabolic disease: mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives

  • Ok-Hee Kim,
  • Seung Wan Noh,
  • Jun-Su Choi,
  • YunJae Jung,
  • Byung-Chul Oh

摘要

Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis is a central determinant of cardiometabolic physiology, integrating excitation–contraction coupling, metabolic signaling, and stress adaptation across multiple organs. The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), regulated by the micropeptides phospholamban (PLN) and dwarf open reading frame (DWORF), governs ER/SR Ca2+ reuptake and thereby shapes Ca2+-dependent signaling dynamics. Dysregulation of the SERCA–PLN–DWORF axis is increasingly recognized as a shared pathogenic mechanism in type 2 diabetes–related complications, including diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), where reduced SERCA2a activity prolongs diastolic Ca2+ clearance and promotes calcineurin–NFAT activation and mitochondrial Ca2⁺ overload. In the liver, loss of SERCA2b activity promotes chronic ER stress, Ca2+–phosphoinositide complex formation, insulin resistance, and fibrotic activation, thereby linking Ca2+ dysregulation to progressive metabolic liver injury in metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH). These observations position Ca2+ dysregulation as a unifying mechanism across the cardiometabolic disease continuum, spanning myocardial dysfunction, systemic insulin resistance, and progressive fatty liver disease. Therapeutic strategies targeting the SERCA–PLN–DWORF axis, including SERCA activators, PLN-directed antisense oligonucleotides, DWORF gene therapy, and CRISPR-based modulation, have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models by improving Ca2⁺ handling and alleviating metabolic or contractile stress. Further studies are required to determine the translational feasibility, long-term safety, and optimal patient subsets for SERCA-targeted interventions in cardiometabolic disease.