Unlocking the dark matter: noncoding RNAs and RNA modifications in cardiac aging

Abstract

Cardiac aging is a multifaceted process that encompasses structural and functional alterations culminating in heart failure. As the elderly population continues to expand, there is a growing urgent need for interventions to combat age-related cardiac functional decline. Noncoding RNAs have emerged as critical regulators of cellular and biochemical processes underlying cardiac disease. This review summarizes our current understanding of how noncoding RNAs function in the heart during aging, with particular emphasis on mechanisms of RNA modification that control their activity. Targeting noncoding RNAs as potential novel therapeutics in cardiac aging is also discussed.