DUSP1 and Sepsis: Using an in vitro system with H9c2 cardiomyocytes, we examined MAPK, Mkp-1, and G-protein-coupled cellular signaling events to test the hypothesis that MAPKs play a key role in the cardiomyocyte response during sepsis, and that MAPK and G-protein pathways crosstalk to mediate the complex cellular processes during the inflammatory response in these heart cells.