title: Epigenetic regulation of vascular endothelial gene expression.
abstract: Epigenetics refers to chromatin-based pathways important in the regulation of gene expression and includes 3 distinct, but highly interrelated, mechanisms: DNA methylation, histone density and posttranslational modifications, and RNA-based mechanisms. Together, they offer a newer perspective on transcriptional control paradigms in vascular endothelial cells and provide a molecular basis for how the environment impacts the genome to modify disease susceptibility. This review provides an introduction to epigenetic concepts for vascular biologists. Using endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) as an example, we examine the growing body of evidence implicating epigenetic pathways in the control of vascular endothelial gene expression in health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Sciences, St. Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Charles C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Matouk
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Marsden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III