Pathogenesis articles within Nature Reviews Cardiology

Featured

  • Review Article |

    The pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains poorly understood. In this Review, Redfield and colleagues highlight the importance of studying human cardiac tissue in HFpEF, discuss sources, challenges and methods for studying human myocardial samples, summarize pathophysiological insights derived from studies of human myocardium in HFpEF and outline knowledge gaps to guide future research.

    • Ahmed U. Fayyaz
    • , Muhammad Eltony
    •  & Margaret M. Redfield

  • Review Article |

    Physiological responses to stress are thought to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease via haemodynamic, vascular and immune perturbations. In this Review, Vaccarino and Bremner focus on issues with the measurement of psychological stress and the underlying pathobiology connecting stress to the risk of cardiovascular disease.

    • Viola Vaccarino
    •  & J. Douglas Bremner

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Kemper and colleagues discuss the canonical and non-canonical roles of the complement system in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and discuss potential new therapeutic strategies targeting the complement system for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

    • Pasquale Maffia
    • , Claudio Mauro
    •  & Claudia Kemper

  • Research Highlight |

    A study shows that congenital heart defects in Down syndrome are in part caused by increased dosage of the DYRK1A gene, which lies on chromosome 21, leading to reduced proliferation and mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Varga and colleagues provide an overview of the evidence on immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced heart failure and cardiac dysfunction that is unrelated to myocarditis, and discuss how pharmacological targeting of immune checkpoints might be a potential strategy to treat heart failure.

    • Tamás G. Gergely
    • , Zsófia D. Drobni
    •  & Zoltán V. Varga

  • Clinical Outlook |

    A molecular autopsy is undertaken in cases of sudden cardiac death with no definitive cause found after conventional autopsy, with the aim of identifying a pathological genetic variant that could account for the death. Greater awareness of malignant arrhythmias in the absence of structural changes in inherited cardiomyopathies has increased the applicability of molecular autopsies, and resulted in improved care of families but new challenges for clinicians.

    • Julia C. Isbister
    •  & Christopher Semsarian

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Guzik and colleagues discuss immune and inflammatory mechanisms of hypertension, including upstream regulators and downstream effectors as well as the complex interplay between the immune system, blood pressure regulation and end-organ damage, which can help to identify new targets for therapeutic interventions.

    • Tomasz J. Guzik
    • , Ryszard Nosalski
    •  & Grant R. Drummond

  • Research Highlight |

    In a study published in Nature, Jia and colleagues use advanced optical electrophysiology tools coupled with 3D-printed moulds to capture the very first heartbeat of zebrafish.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    Two studies now report that TET2-driven clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction and that DNMT3A CHIP driver mutations promote dysregulated gene expression profiles that are associated with inflammation in monocytes in the setting of HF.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    A new study reveals that the disrupted sleep patterns that are frequently observed in patients with cardiac disease are driven by immune-mediated sympathetic denervation and dysfunction of the pineal gland, which leads to a decrease in the circulating levels of melatonin and subsequent sleep disruption.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Research Highlight |

    According to two papers from the OPTICO-ACS study, patients with acute coronary syndrome and an intact fibrous cap (plaque erosion), tend to have lower levels of inflammation and better prognosis than patients with rupture of the fibrous cap. In addition, Toll-like receptor 2-mediated neutrophil activation has a key role in plaque erosion.

    • Jennifer Harman

  • Research Highlight |

    Hyperphosphorylation of tau in the heart reduces the tyrosination of microtubules, leading to myocardial stiffness and heart failure. This novel mechanism of diastolic dysfunction parallels the aggregation of tau in the brain that leads to Alzheimer disease and might be amenable to treatment using monoclonal antibodies against tau.

    • Gregory B. Lim

  • Research Highlight |

    Desmosomal protein degradation that occurs via a mechanism involving the ubiquitin–proteasome system might underlie the development of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    Adenine base editing can be used to correct a genetic variant in preclinical models of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and this approach could be applied to other monogenic cardiac diseases.

    • Gregory B. Lim

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Ntusi and colleagues examine the mechanistic links between dysbiosis of the oral microbiome and the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, and explore potential strategies for prevention and treatment.

    • Andrea Tonelli
    • , Evelyn N. Lumngwena
    •  & Ntobeko A. B. Ntusi

  • Research Highlight |

    Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells specific for the cardiac protein α-myosin heavy chain have a key role in immune-checkpoint-inhibitor-associated myocarditis, according to a study published in Nature.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Research Highlight |

    Some clinical observations suggest that female patients are more susceptible to myocarditis induced by immune-checkpoint-inhibitor therapies. A new study recapitulates this female predisposition in mice and provides mechanistic and biological plausibility, and suggests that hormone therapy could help to treat myocarditis by promoting the expression of MANF, a protein related to the unfolded protein response.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Research Highlight |

    Coagulation factor XI, a liver-derived protein, has a cardioprotective role in the setting of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction that is distinct from its role in coagulation.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Review Article |

    Advances in machine learning technology in the past decade have accelerated the discovery of genetic loci associated with aortic disease. In this Review, Lindsay and colleagues discuss how emerging insights into the genetic architecture of aortic disease can improve the accuracy of disease prediction and facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic targets.

    • Elizabeth Chou
    • , James P. Pirruccello
    •  & Mark E. Lindsay

  • Research Highlight |

    Two new papers describe the transcriptional programmes of congenital heart disease and dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy assessed using single-nucleus RNA-sequencing technologies.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    Gene therapy targeting the protein trafficking regulator MOG1 successfully reversed clinical features of Brugada syndrome in a knock-in mouse model.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, the authors discuss the roles of non-canonical WNT signalling in cardiovascular disease. They provide an overview of non-canonical WNT signalling, describe its links to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, heart failure and arrhythmias, and explore the clinical potential of targeting individual components of non-canonical WNT signalling in cardiovascular disease.

    • Ioannis Akoumianakis
    • , Murray Polkinghorne
    •  & Charalambos Antoniades

  • Comment |

    Heart failure is a systemic disease in which neuroendocrine activation, inflammation and metabolic changes can impair cardiac function. In addition, variants in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins can predispose individuals to develop heart failure. The 2022 Gordon Research Conference on Cardiac Regulatory Mechanisms aims to identify novel treatment targets by applying high-resolution approaches to complex cardiac disorders.

    • Christoph Maack
    •  & Jil C. Tardiff

  • News & Views |

    Cardiovascular disease is both a risk factor and potential outcome of the direct, indirect and long-term effects of COVID-19. A recent analysis in >150,000 survivors of COVID-19 demonstrates an increased 1-year risk of numerous cardiovascular diseases. Preventing and managing this new disease burden presents challenges to health systems and requires a learning health system approach.

    • Mohamed O. Mohamed
    •  & Amitava Banerjee

  • News & Views |

    A new, very large genome-wide association study has uncovered many novel genetic factors associated with circulating lipid levels. The success of this study came partly from analysing many samples, but mostly from including individuals of non-European ancestry. So, why is studying genetic diversity important and how can it help to fight cardiovascular disease?

    • André G. Uitterlinden

  • Research Highlight |

    A novel approach to assess the network of interactions between GATA4 and TBX5, which are both implicated in congenital heart disease, has led to the discovery of a gene with a previously unknown role in heart development.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    A new study shows that atrial fibrillation causes functional remodelling of the left ventricle via impairment of excitation–contraction coupling of ventricular cardiomyocytes, which is mediated by reduced systolic Ca2+ release and increased levels of oxidative stress.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, the authors provide an overview of the immune cells involved in atherosclerosis, discuss preclinical research and published and ongoing clinical trials assessing the therapeutic potential of targeting the immune system in atherosclerosis, highlight emerging therapeutic targets from preclinical studies and identify challenges for successful clinical translation.

    • Suzanne E. Engelen
    • , Alice J. B. Robinson
    •  & Claudia Monaco

  • Review Article |

    Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of heart failure that presents in late pregnancy or early in the postpartum period. In this Review, Hoes and colleagues discuss the known risk factors for PPCM, including genetic variants and pre-eclampsia, and describe the potential pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of PPCM such as disrupted metabolic homeostasis in the heart owing to pregnancy-induced hormone fluctuations.

    • Martijn F. Hoes
    • , Zoltan Arany
    •  & Peter van der Meer

  • Review Article |

    Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a growing global public health problem owing to its high and rising prevalence and association with adverse outcomes. In this Review, Golledge summarizes the epidemiology, presentation, outcomes, pathophysiology and current treatment of PAD, and outlines ongoing research into new medical treatments.

    • Jonathan Golledge

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Klarin and Natarajan discuss the implementation of polygenic risk scores in clinical medicine for risk prediction and screening algorithms for coronary artery disease, prioritization of patient subgroups that are likely to derive benefit from treatment, and efficient prospective clinical trial designs.

    • Derek Klarin
    •  & Pradeep Natarajan

  • Research Highlight |

    Two new studies show that titin haploinsufficiency and the toxicity of aggregated truncated titin protein together contribute to the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy caused by truncating variants in the gene encoding titin.

    • Karina Huynh

  • Research Highlight |

    A new study shows that anti-IL-1β treatment and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition ameliorate vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis progression by two mechanisms: a reduction in blood inflammatory leukocyte supply and a decrease in inflammatory leukocyte uptake into atherosclerotic lesions.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Research Highlight |

    Mice deficient in type 2 innate lymphoid cells have a greater accumulation of inflammatory macrophages and poorer cardiac function after myocardial infarction compared with control mice, indicating a role for this subset of lymphocytes in regulating inflammatory pathways in the injured heart.

    • Karina Huynh

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Pathogenesis across other nature.com journals