Epigenetic modification: a regulatory mechanism in essential hypertension

Essential hypertension (EH) is a multifactorial disease of the cardiovascular system that is influenced by the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The molecular dynamics underlying EH etiopathogenesis is unknown; however, earlier studies have revealed EH-associated genetic v...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hypertension research 2019-08, Vol.42 (8), p.1099-1113
Main Authors: Arif, Mohammed, Sadayappan, Sakthivel, Becker, Richard C, Martin, Lisa J, Urbina, Elaine M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Blood pressure
DNA Methylation
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Essential Hypertension - etiology
Essential Hypertension - metabolism
Histone Code
Humans
Hypertension
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Essential hypertension (EH) is a multifactorial disease of the cardiovascular system that is influenced by the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The molecular dynamics underlying EH etiopathogenesis is unknown; however, earlier studies have revealed EH-associated genetic variants. Nevertheless, this finding alone is not sufficient to explain the variability in blood pressure, suggesting that other risk factors are involved, such as epigenetic modifications. Therefore, this review highlights the potential contribution of well-defined epigenetic mechanisms in EH, specifically, DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, and microRNAs. We further emphasize global and gene-specific DNA methylation as one of the most well-studied hallmarks among all epigenetic modifications in EH. In addition, post-translational histone modifications, such as methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation, are described as important epigenetic markers associated with EH. Finally, we discuss microRNAs that affect blood pressure by regulating master genes such as those implicated in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. These epigenetic modifications, which appear to contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, including EH, may be a promising research area for the development of novel future strategies for EH prevention and therapeutics.
ISSN:0916-9636
1348-4214
DOI:10.1038/s41440-019-0248-0