Cardiac myosin heavy chain beta (MYH7) (MYH7)

Cardiac myosin heavy chain beta (MYH7) is a motor protein that serves as the primary force-generating component of the cardiac sarcomere. It functions as an ATPase, converting chemical energy from ATP into mechanical work to drive muscle contraction through interaction with actin filaments [1.1.3, 1.4.1]. Mutations in the MYH7 gene are a leading cause of inherited cardiomyopathies, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), where hypercontractility and impaired relaxation lead to ventricular wall thickening and outflow tract obstruction [1.1.3, 1.4.4]. Mavacamten is a first-in-class small molecule that targets this protein by allosterically inhibiting its ATPase activity and stabilizing the super-relaxed state of the myosin heads [1.2.2, 1.4.1]. By reducing the number of active myosin-actin cross-bridges, mavacamten alleviates the hypercontractile state, improves diastolic filling, and reduces the left ventricular outflow tract gradient in patients with obstructive HCM [1.2.3, 1.4.2]. Clinical management of patients targeting this protein requires careful monitoring of cardiac function and potential drug-drug interactions due to the risk of systolic dysfunction [1.3.5, 1.4.4].

Other names

Beta-cardiac myosin heavy chainMyosin-7Myosin heavy chain 7Cardiac muscle myosin heavy chain 7CMH1MPD1SPG31

Allosteric inhibition of cardiac myosin ATPase, which stabilizes the super-relaxed (SRX) state of the myosin heads and reduces the probability of myosin-actin cross-bridge formation [1.2.2, 1.4.1].