Cardiac muscle ring finger-1--friend or foe?

The ubiquitin proteasome system plays a role in regulating protein activity and is integral to the turnover of damaged and worn proteins. In this review, we discuss the recently described relationship between the ubiquitin proteasome system and the cardiac creatine kinase/phosphocreatine shuttle, an essential component of adenosine triphosphate generation and energy shuttling within the heart. The ubiquitin ligase muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF1) binds creatine kinase, leading to its ubiquitination and possible degradation. Muscle ring finger-1 may also be integral in the regulation of creatine kinase activity in vivo. Because there is a close relationship between the cardiac creatine kinase/phosphocreatine shuttle activity and heart failure, these findings suggest that MuRF1's role in protein quality control of creatine kinase may be vital to the regulation and maintenance of cardiac energetics to protect against heart failure. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.