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miRNAs as Therapeutic Targets in Ischemic Heart Disease

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Abstract

Ischemic heart disease is a form of congestive heart failure that is caused by insufficient blood supply to the heart, resulting in a loss of viable tissue. In response to the injury, the non-ischemic myocardium displays signs of secondary remodeling, like interstitial fibrosis and hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes. This remodeling process further deteriorates pump function and increases susceptibility to arrhythmias. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression in a sequence-dependent manner. Recently, several groups identified miRNAs as crucial gene regulators in response to myocardial infarction (MI) and during post-MI remodeling. In this review, we discuss how modulation of these miRNAs represents a promising new therapeutic strategy to improve the clinical outcome in ischemic heart disease.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Eric Olson and Rusty Montgomery for comments and critical review of the manuscript and Jose Cabrera for assistance with the figure.

Conflict of interest

EvR is a scientific co-founder and an employee of miRagen Therapeutics, a company focused on using oligonucleotide-based regulation of miRNAs in the setting of cardiovascular and muscle disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9148, USA

    Robert J. A. Frost

  2. miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., 6200 Lookout Rd., Boulder, CO, 80301, USA

    Eva van Rooij

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Correspondence to Eva van Rooij.

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Frost, R.J.A., van Rooij, E. miRNAs as Therapeutic Targets in Ischemic Heart Disease. J. of Cardiovasc. Trans. Res. 3, 280–289 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-010-9173-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-010-9173-y

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