Background: Discovery of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in 1997 and demonstration of its wide tissue expressionhas triggered an important question about controlled oxidative phosphorylation uncoupling and the physiologicalfunction of this process. Uncoupling protein 2 (UcP2) is a mitochondrial protein that can infl uence the mitochondrialmembrane potential and hence the production of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria. It is also thought to beinvolved in apoptotic signaling pathways and it has been suggested to be important in cardio- and neuroprotection.Methods and results: We examined the recent literature (2003–2007) in the MedLine database for evidence linkingp38, one of the stress-related protein kinases, with modulation of UCP2 expression in the heart. While two reportsclearly demonstrate p38 as down-regulating UcP2 expression, only circumstantial evidence exists for cardiomyocytes.Confl icting results on p38-regulated cardiomyocyte survival after ischemia leave an open venue for hypotheses on thediff erential regulation of protein expression, including UCP2. Conclusions: Reviewing the evidence connecting UCP2 and its cytoprotective activities, we propose a tissue specifi clink that may explain the variable infl uence of p38 via modulation of UCP2 expression.

Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc

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Lit.: 76