The significant role of the Golgi apparatus in cardiovascular diseases

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is a ribbon-like system of stacks which consist of multiple closely apposed flattened cisternae and vesicles usually localized in the juxta-nuclear area. As for the biological functions, the GA plays a major role in protein biosynthesis, post-translational modification, and sorting protein from ER to plasma membrane and other destinations. Structural changes and functional disorder of the GA is associated with various diseases. Moreover, increasing evidence revealed that swelling, poor development, and other morphological alterations of the GA are linked to cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure (HF), arrhythmia, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, dysfunction of the GA is also related to cardiovascular diseases since the GA is extremely responsible for transport, glycosylation, biosynthesis, and subcellular distribution of cardiovascular proteins. This review gives a brief overview of the intricate relationship between the GA and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, we provide a further prospective that the GA may provide diagnosis reference for cardiovascular diseases, and changes in the ultrastructure and morphology of the GA such as swelling, poor development, and fragmentation may serve as a reliable index for cardiovascular diseases.