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Updated: Sep 13, 2025
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Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
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Circulating extra-cellular RNAs and atrial fibrillation: data from the TRACE-CORE cohort
Katherine Tak1, Darleen Lessard2, Catarina I Kiefe2
1Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|July 30, 2025
Summary
Extracellular RNAs (exRNAs), including miR-17-5p and miR-574-3p, are linked to cardiac remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF) history in acute coronary syndrome survivors. These findings suggest exRNAs may serve as biomarkers for AF and atrial remodeling.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Molecular Biology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with increased risks of stroke, heart failure, and mortality.
- Circulating extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) are molecules that regulate gene expression and can serve as biomarkers for various biological processes, including cardiovascular diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between circulating exRNAs and echocardiographic phenotypes related to AF in survivors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
- To identify specific exRNAs that are potential biomarkers for AF and cardiac remodeling.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of exRNA profiles in 296 ACS survivors from the TRACE-CORE cohort.
- Quantification of 318 pre-selected exRNAs.
- Assessment of associations between exRNAs and echocardiographic parameters (left atrial dimension, LV mass, LV end-diastolic volume, global longitudinal strain).
- Logistic regression models to determine the association of exRNAs with AF history.
- Bioinformatics analysis to identify target genes and pathways.
Main Results:
- 77 exRNAs were significantly associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass and other echocardiographic phenotypes.
- miR-17-5p and miR-574-3p were significantly associated with a history of AF (ORs 1.58 and 2.16, respectively).
- Predicted gene targets of these miRNAs were enriched in pathways related to atrial remodeling and arrhythmogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Circulating exRNAs, specifically miR-17-5p and miR-574-3p, are associated with cardiac remodeling and AF history in ACS survivors.
- These exRNAs show potential as biomarkers for atrial remodeling.
- The study implicates key molecular pathways in AF pathogenesis, including Senescence Pathway and ERK5 Signaling.
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