During the development of the mammalian cardiovascular system, the formation of a mature and fully functional cardiovascular system needs the fine coordination of the morphogenesis of various molecules, cells, tissues, and organs. Abnormalities in these processes usually lead to serious congenital heart defects. The determination and maintenance of cell fate in multicellular organisms depend to a large extent on the precise timing and control of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription, and the transcription Mediator complex plays an irreplaceable role in the Pol II transcription process. Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved multi-subunit protein complex, including four parts: head, middle, tail, and kinase. It is a functional bridge between transcription factors and basic transcription machines. In recent years, due to the key role of Mediator in the transcriptional regulation of gene expression, many of human heart diseases have been confirmed to be related to specific Mediator gene mutations, such as heart valve defects, translocation of the great arteries, DiGeorge syndrome and some cardiovascular diseases related to energy homeostasis. In this review, we summarize the role of Mediator in cardiovascular development and disease, focusing on the role of Mediator in the development of cardiovascular disease, and provides a broad idea for the research on Mediator-related cardiovascular system development and diseases.
哺乳动物心血管系统发育过程中,各分子、细胞和组织器官形态发生过程的精细协调对于形成成熟且功能齐全的心血管系统是不可或缺的,这些过程出现异常通常会导致严重的先天性心血管发育缺陷。多细胞生物中细胞命运的决定和维持在很大程度上依赖于对RNA聚合酶II (Pol II)转录活性的时空精确调控,而转录中介体(Mediator)在Pol II转录过程中起着重要的协同作用。Mediator是一种进化上保守的多亚基蛋白质复合体,包括头部、中部、尾部和激酶部四个部分,是转录因子和基础转录机器之间的功能联系的桥梁。近年来,鉴于Mediator在基因表达中的关键作用,越来越多的人类心血管疾病被证实与特定的Mediator基因突变相关,如心脏瓣膜缺陷、大动脉转位、DiGeorge综合征及一些与能量稳态失衡相关的心血管疾病。本文就Mediator在心血管系统发育和疾病中的作用进行综述,重点讨论Mediator对转录调控的影响在心血管疾病发生发展中的作用,旨在为与Mediator相关的心血管系统发育和疾病的研究提供广阔的研究思路。.
Keywords: Mediator complex; cardiovascular development; cardiovascular disease; transcriptional regulation.