Epigenomic signaling and heart failure.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION/ABSTRACT Heart failure is characterized by a relentless progression of signs and symptoms. A relatively long interval (several years) exists between the precipitating events that induce myocardial damage followed by a functional compensated period and the final state termed dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by markedly enlarged heart chambers and impaired contractile function. Delineating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that initiate and mediate the pathogenesis of heart failure during this long interval still remains an enormous challenge, and is the long- term goal of the project. A commonly accepted paradigm for the development of heart failure divides the pathological process into two distinct stages: initial compensatory hypertrophy to keep up with the body demand for blood supply, followed by a critical transition to decompensated failure under persistent stress. Epigenomic regulation is emerging as a new mechanism contributing to the initiation, development and prognosis of heart failure, and next-generation sequencing technologies have made it possible to dissect this complicated regulatory mechanism. In this study, the investigators started with a set of unbiased genome-scale high-throughput screenings in both human and animal failing hearts, and uncovered several potential epigenetic regulators that might be critical for the progression of heart failure including initial stage of cardiac hypertrophy and the later failing stage. A set of comprehensive bioinformatics analyses, molecular biology experiments and genetic animal models are applied to investigate this new mechanism. The eventual results will allow a look from a different angle to understand the progression of HF. The manipulation of the uncovered mechanism could be a novel therapeutic strategy for the heart failure treatment in patients.