We know of many genes with variants that make us particularly prone to cardiovascular disease. But there are gaps in our knowledge. It is not just the genes themselves but also the way they are expressed that influences the risk of disease.
In some cases, DNA regions that control how genetic information is copied onto RNA molecules are changed. The amount of RNA and whether this temporary information carrier is subsequently modified influence the development of disease.
To investigate these processes at RNA-level, however, there is a serious lack of research material. "It is extremely hard to get human heart tissue for genetic studies," says Professor Norbert Hübner, one of the leading researchers involved in the study. "That's why we still don't know all the variants of risk genes by a long chalk."
Together with a team from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and researchers from the Netherlands and Singapore, the group leader at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), the Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen (DZHK) has just published a paper in the journal Genome Biology. It is the largest genetic study yet undertaken comparing the entire transcriptome of heart tissue in healthy and diseased individuals.Early detection of individuals at risk
According to Dr Matthias Heinig, lead author and group leader at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, "Our data are a valuable resource for cardiovascular research as a whole." They make it easier to evaluate potential risk genes and offer researchers new indications for developing drugs and diagnostic tests.
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