Gene expression and gene associations during the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the Dahl salt sensitive model of hypertension

ABSTRACTGene expression and associations were examined in a model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition with minimal effective treatment. Genes with at least two studies showing significant changes in Dahl rat with heart failure were examined by meta-analysis. Significantly increased in expression were iNOS, p47phox, ADM, ANP, OPN, ACE, MCP-1, GP91PHOX, ICAM-1, TGF-β1, CTGF, ET-1, p22phox, ETB, BNP, ETA, MMP13, Col1a1, MMP2, TIMP1, Col3a1, Il-1β, β-MHC, ECE1, MMP14, AGT, and MMP9. In contrast, GLUT4, VEGF, eNOS, HIF-1α, and PGC1-α were significantly decreased in expression. The top biological process clusters identified in Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery, ToppGene, and PANTHER were collagen metabolic process, cellular ion homeostasis, regulation of cell migration, and response to decreased oxygen levels. These data suggest refocusing understanding of the pathophysiology of HFpEF to pathways involved in collagen metabolism, cell migration lik...