Dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure result in multiple defects in cardiac excitation–contraction coupling. Via complementation of a genetically based mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy, we now provide evidence that progressive chamber dilation and heart failure are dependent on a Ca2+ cycling defect in the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The ablation of a muscle-specific sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2a) inhibitor, phospholamban, rescued the spectrum of phenotypes that resemble human heart failure. Inhibition of phospholamban–SERCA2a interaction via in vivo expression of a phospholamban point mutant dominantly activated the contractility of ventricular muscle cells. Thus, interfering with phospholamban–SERCA2a interaction may provide a novel therapeutic approach for preventing the progression of dilated cardiomyopathy.
