Genome Editing and Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Differential gene expression is associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DMCM) and culminates in adverse remodeling in the diabetic heart. Genome editing is a technology utilized to alter endogenous genes. Genome editing also provides an option to induce cardioprotective genes or inhibit genes linked to adverse cardiac remodeling and thus has promise in ameliorating DMCM. Non-coding genes have emerged as novel regulators of cellular signaling and may serve as potential therapeutic targets for DMCM. Specifically, there is a widespread change in the gene expression of fetal cardiac genes and microRNAs, termed genetic reprogramming, that promotes pathological remodeling and contributes to heart failure in diabetes. This genetic reprogramming of both coding and non-coding genes varies with the progression and severity of DMCM. Thus, genetic editing provides a promising option to investigate the role of specific genes/non-coding RNAs in DMCM initiation and progression as well as developing therapeutics to mitigate cardiac remodeling and ameliorate DMCM. This chapter will summarize the research progress in genome editing and DMCM and provide future directions for utilizing genome editing as an approach to prevent and/or treat DMCM.

Keywords: Heart failure; MicroRNA; Regulator; Therapeutics.