Increased expression of a homologue of drosophila tissue polarity gene "frizzled" in left ventricular hypertrophy in the rat, as identified by subtractive hybridization.

The molecular mechanisms that govern the development of left ventricular hypertrophy are not fully elucidated. We performed a subtractive hybridization procedure to identify genes controlling this adaptive process. Using this approach, we isolated a rat homologue of Drosophila tissue polarity gene "frizzled" 2 (fz-2). The expression of this gene was quantified by competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions. The expression was higher in hypertrophic left ventricles at all time points tested, reaching statistical significance at days 1 and 10. We conclude that the fz-2 gene, a highly conserved gene for which a role in intra- and intercellular communication has been described, may be involved in the spatial control of ventricular remodeling.