title: The role of transcription factors in atrial fibrillation.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a complex disease that results from genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and family-based linkage analysis have found amounts of genetic variants associated with AF. Some of them lie in coding sequences and thus mediate the encoded proteins, some in non-coding regions and influence the expression of adjacent genes. These variants exert influence on the development of cardiovascular system and normal cardiac electrical activity in different levels, and eventually contribute to the occurrence of AF. Among these affected genes, as a crucial means of transcriptional regulation, several transcription factors play important roles in the pathogenesis of AF. In this review, we will focus on the potential role of PITX2, PRRX1, ZHFX3, TBX5, and NKX2.5 in AF.
authors.affiliation: 1 Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Cardio-X Institute, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China ; 2 Laboratory of Cardiovascular Immunology, Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China.
authors.forename: Mengchen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: 1 Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Cardio-X Institute, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China ; 2 Laboratory of Cardiovascular Immunology, Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China.
authors.forename: Yuhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: 1 Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Cardio-X Institute, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China ; 2 Laboratory of Cardiovascular Immunology, Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tu
keywords: Atrial fibrillation (AF); NKX2.5; PITX2; PRRX1; TBX5; ZFHX3; transcription factors