Unbiased as well as targeted gene expression and pathway analyses identified periostin, angiotensin signaling, and IGF-1 signaling as potential causes of increased HF susceptibility in C57BL/6J mice and as potentially useful drug targets for HF treatment.
Up-regulation was evident for muscle LIM protein (Mlp), desmin, and heart failure (natriuretic peptide A [Nppa], Nppb, and myosin heavy chain 6) and fibrosis (transforming growth factor beta 1, alpha-smooth muscle actin, osteopontin, and periostin) markers.
Periostin, the distribution and expression of which were consistent with the extent of myocardial fibrosis, might be a potential biomarker of cardiac remodeling in heart failure patients.
Originally evaluated in the context of bone development, periostin is important in endocardial cushion formation and has recently been implicated in heart failure.
Thus, we examined the inhibition of periostin in Dahl salt-sensitive rats by an antisense strategy because periostin is highly expressed in heart failure.