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An Introduction to Epigenetics in Cardiovascular Development, Disease, and Sexualization

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Sex-Specific Analysis of Cardiovascular Function

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1065))

Abstract

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is integral to cell differentiation, development, and disease. Modes of epigenetic regulation—including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and ncRNA-based regulation—alter chromatin structure, promotor accessibility, and contribute to posttranscriptional modifications. In the cardiovascular system, epigenetic regulation is necessary for proper cardiovascular development and homeostasis, while epigenetic dysfunction is associated with improper cardiac development and disease.

Early sexualization of tissues, including X-inactivation in females and maternal and paternal imprinting, is also orchestrated through epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, sex chromosomes encode various sex-specific genes involved in epigenetic regulation, while sex hormones can act as regulatory cofactors that may predispose or protect males and females against developing diseases with a marked sex bias.

The following book chapter summarizes the field of epigenetics in the context of cardiovascular development and disease while also highlighting the role of epigenetic regulation as a powerful source of sex differences within the cardiovascular system.

Art work by Piet Michiels, Leuven, Belgium

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Christine M. Cunningham & Mansoureh Eghbali

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  1. Christine M. Cunningham
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  2. Mansoureh Eghbali
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Correspondence to Mansoureh Eghbali .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Peter L. M. Kerkhof

  2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Virginia M. Miller

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Cunningham, C.M., Eghbali, M. (2018). An Introduction to Epigenetics in Cardiovascular Development, Disease, and Sexualization. In: Kerkhof, P., Miller, V. (eds) Sex-Specific Analysis of Cardiovascular Function. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1065. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77932-4_2

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