Affiliation:
1. Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2. Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract
Genetic predisposition to cardiac arrhythmias has been a field of intense investigation. Research initially focused on rare hereditary arrhythmias, but over the last two decades, the role of genetic variation (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in heart rate, rhythm, and arrhythmias has been taken into consideration as well. In particular, genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genomic loci associated with quantitative electrocardiographic traits, atrial fibrillation, and less common arrhythmias such as Brugada syndrome. A significant number of associated variants have been found to systematically localize in non-coding regulatory elements that control the tissue-specific and temporal transcription of genes encoding transcription factors, ion channels, and other proteins. However, the identification of causal variants and the mechanism underlying their impact on phenotype has proven difficult due to the complex tissue-specific, time-resolved, condition-dependent, and combinatorial function of regulatory elements, as well as their modest conservation across different model species. In this review, we discuss research efforts aimed at identifying and characterizing-trait-associated variant regulatory elements and the molecular mechanisms underlying their impact on heart rate or rhythm.
Funder
European Research council
Health Holland LentiPace II, Horizon 2020 Eurostars
Dutch Research Council Open Technology Program
Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek