Role of splicing variants in heart failure

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Number of patients with chronic heart failure is increasing in Japan. It is important to detect novel targets for heart failure. Alternative splicing is known to play important roles in the regulations of several diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of alternative splicing in the pathogenesis of heart failure remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed global expression levels of splicing variants in heart failure using exon arrays. We identified 46 genes with significant changes in splicing pattern but without changes in expression level. Out of 46 candidate genes responsible for heart failure, we narrowed our focus to Mtus1 gene. Our functional analyses revealed that Mtus1A variant is a novel inhibitory factor for cardiac hypertrophy.