Role of Epigenetics in Cardiac Development and Cardiovascular Diseases

Epigenetic mechanisms which comprise DNA methylation, histone modification, oxidative modification, and non-coding RNAs, are closely linked to cardiac development and dysfunction. However, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. More and more studies have represented altered DNA methylation or distinct changes in chromatin modifications within cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and cardiac hypertrophy. Oxidative modification has also been uncovered involving in the cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. Among these mechanisms, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been widely demonstrated essential to cardiac development, pathology, repair, and as potential biomarker or therapeutic targets in the clinic. Most of the epigenetic changes control the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases through increasing or decreasing expression of cardiac-related genes. Nevertheless, how epigenetics lead to the changes of chromosome structure and their complex interplay still need further exploration. Here, we review recent findings on the epigenetic mechanisms and highlight their functions in heart development and pathology, which are expected to inform novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases.