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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Nov 26, 2015; 7(11): 784-791
Published online Nov 26, 2015. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v7.i11.784
Epigenetic regulation in cardiac fibrosis
Li-Ming Yu, Yong Xu
Li-Ming Yu, Yong Xu, Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease and Molecular Intervention, Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Yu LM wrote the manuscript; Xu Y reviewed, revised, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Innovative Collaboration Center for Cardiovascular Translational Medicine.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Yong Xu, PhD, Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease and Molecular Intervention, Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, 140 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. yjxu@njmu.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-25-86862888 Fax: +86-25-86862888
Received: May 28, 2015
Peer-review started: May 31, 2015
First decision: June 24, 2015
Revised: August 16, 2015
Accepted: September 25, 2015
Article in press: September 28, 2015
Published online: November 26, 2015
Abstract

Cardiac fibrosis represents an adoptive response in the heart exposed to various stress cues. While resolution of the fibrogenic response heralds normalization of heart function, persistent fibrogenesis is usually associated with progressive loss of heart function and eventually heart failure. Cardiac fibrosis is regulated by a myriad of factors that converge on the transcription of genes encoding extracellular matrix proteins, a process the epigenetic machinery plays a pivotal role. In this mini-review, we summarize recent advances regarding the epigenetic regulation of cardiac fibrosis focusing on the role of histone and DNA modifications and non-coding RNAs.

Keywords: Cardiac fibrosis, Epigenetics, Endothelial cell, Fibroblast

Core tip: Cardiac fibrosis contributes to the increased accidence of sudden cardiac death, heart failure and arrhythmia. The molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac fibrosis remain obscure. Seminal studies have revealed complex pathways associated with cardiac fibrosis. How histone/DNA modifying enzymes and microRNAs fine-tune these events are actively pursued by investigators. This review provides an overview on recent advances regarding the epigenetic regulation of fibrosis.