title: Role of NRSF/REST in the regulation of cardiac gene expression and function.
abstract: Alterations in the cardiac gene program affect both cardiac structure and function, and play a key role in the progression of pathological cardiac remodeling and heart failure. For instance, reactivation of fetal cardiac genes in adults is a consistent feature of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Investigation of the transcriptional regulation of cardiac genes revealed a transcriptional repressor, neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF), also called repressor element-1 silencing factor (REST), to be an important regulator of multiple fetal cardiac genes. Inhibition of NRSF in the heart leads to cardiac dysfunction and sudden arrhythmic death accompanied by re-expression of various fetal genes, including those encoding fetal ion channels, such as the HCN channels and T-type Ca(2+) channels. These findings shed light on the crucial regulatory function of NRSF in the heart and its importance for maintaining normal cardiac integrity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwahara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling; D000099229:RE1-Silencing Transcription Factor
chemical_list: D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D000099229:RE1-Silencing Transcription Factor