title: Epigenetics in cardiovascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide an overview of the biological processes implicated in chromatin-based pathways that control endothelial gene expression patterns in both health and disease and highlight how these processes are relevant to cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epigenetics refers to chromatin-based pathways important in the regulation of gene expression and includes three distinct, but highly interrelated, mechanisms: DNA methylation, histone density and posttranslational modifications, and RNA-based mechanisms. It is of great interest that epigenetic regulation of genes enriched in the vascular endothelium is a prominent regulatory pathway. How environmental cues within the vasculature, such as hemodynamic forces or hypoxia, influence these epigenetic mechanisms will be reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a newer area for study, exciting new evidence identifies that epigenetic processes are highly dynamic and respond to a myriad of environmental stimuli. Integrating chromatin-based pathways into our understanding of gene expression offers newer insight into disease processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Apurva V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Shirodkar
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Marsden
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D002843:Chromatin; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D057890:Epigenomics; D015870:Gene Expression; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000235:genetics*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D033081:Shear Strength
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones