Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation preserves cardiac function in pressure overload induced hypertrophy.

•ERK activation is consistently observed in animal models of hypertrophy and in human patients.•We generated transgenic mouse lines with cardiac overexpression of intrinsically active ERK1.•Activation of ERK results in an adaptive concentric hypertrophy.•In pressure overload ERK activation reduces the fibrosis and preserves contractile function.