Cardiac-Specific Activation of IKK2 Leads to Defects in Heart Development and Embryonic Lethality.

The transcription factor NF-κB has been associated with a range of pathological conditions of the heart, mainly based on its function as a master regulator of inflammation and pro-survival factor. Here, we addressed the question what effects activation of NF-κB can have during murine heart development. We expressed a constitutively active (CA) mutant of IKK2, the kinase activating canonical NF-κB signaling, specifically in cardiomyocytes under the control of the α-myosin heavy chain promoter.