Ubiquitin-specific protease 14 regulates cardiac hypertrophy progression by increasing GSK-3β phosphorylation

Cardiac hypertrophy, a compensatory response to various stimuli in the heart, independently predicts cardiovascular ailments and related deaths. Increasing evidence indicates ubiquitin-proteasome signaling contributes to cardiac hypertrophy regulation. Here, we identified ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14), a 19S proteasome associated deubiquitinase (DUB), as a novel target for cardiac hypertrophy therapy via inhibition of the GSK-3β pathway. Indeed, USP14 expression was increased in an animal model of abdominal aorta constriction. In an angiotensin II (AngII) induced primary neonatal rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy model, USP14 expression was increased in a time-dependent manner, and reduced USP14 deubiquitinase activity or USP14 knockdown resulted in lower expression levels of the myocardial hypertrophy specific marker β-MHC, and subsequent decreased GSK-3β phosphorylation. In conclusion, USP14 mediates the development of cardiac hypertrophy by promoting GSK-3β phosphorylation, suggesting that USP14 might represent a novel therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy treatment.