Endogenous cardiac-enriched long non-coding RNA

Endogenous cardiac-enriched long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a diverse class of RNA molecules longer than 200 nucleotides that do not encode proteins but serve as critical regulators of cardiac development and pathophysiology (Circulation Research, 2017) [1]. These transcripts, such as Myosin Heavy Chain Associated RNA Transcript (MHRT), Cardiac Hypertrophy-Associated Transcript (CHAST), and H19, are highly expressed in cardiomyocytes and modulate gene expression through mechanisms including chromatin remodeling, transcriptional interference, and microRNA sponging (MDPI, 2022) [2]. In diseases like heart failure, myocardial infarction, and cardiac hypertrophy, their expression is often dysregulated, contributing to maladaptive remodeling, fibrosis, or impaired contractility (PMC, 2024) [3]. They are currently being explored as therapeutic targets using modalities like antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), GapmeRs, and viral-mediated gene therapy to either silence pro-pathogenic lncRNAs or restore cardioprotective ones (European Heart Journal, 2020) [7]. Additionally, circulating lncRNAs in the blood are being investigated as stable biomarkers for the early diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular events (PMC, 2021) [10]. However, clinical translation faces significant hurdles, including poor sequence conservation across species and the difficulty of achieving efficient, heart-specific delivery (Circulation Research, 2017) [15].

Other names

Cardiac-enriched lncRNAsHeart-specific long non-coding RNAsCardiac long non-coding RNAsCardiomyocyte-enriched lncRNAs

Modulation of gene expression through RNase H-mediated RNA degradation, RNA interference, or competitive sequestration of microRNAs to restore cardiac homeostasis and prevent pathological remodeling.