Germline polymorphisms in cardiovascular medicine. Is that the whole story?
A wealth of recent data points to the importance of germline mutations and polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of heart and blood vessel disease. In addition, new data suggest that somatic mutations and perturbation in epigenetic pathways may be involved in diseases of the cardiovascular system. This focused discussion uses examples in hypertension and atherosclerosis to highlight these emerging concepts.
Marsden
P A
PA
University of Toronto, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada. p.marsden@utoronto.ca
D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005854:Germ Cells; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic