Epigenetic regulation and heart failure

Heart failure has become a huge public health problem. The treatment options for heart failure, however, are considerably limited. The significant disparity between the scope of a prominent health problem and the restricted means of therapy propagates heart failure epidemics. Delineating novel mechanisms of heart failure is imperative. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic regulation may take part in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Epigenetic regulation involves DNA and histone modifications that lead to changes in DNA-based transcriptional programs without altering the DNA sequence. Although more and more mechanisms are being discovered, the best understood epigenetic modifications are achieved through covalent biochemical reactions including histone acetylation, histone methylation and DNA methylation. Connecting environmental stimuli with genomic programs, epigenetic regulation remains important in maintaining homeostases and the pathogeneses of diseases. This review summarizes the most recent developments regarding individual epigenetic modifications and their implications in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Understanding this strategically important mechanism is potentially the key for developing powerful interventions in the future.