A novel mechanism of epigenetic regulation of potassium channels: Is class I histone deacetylation inhibition a new treatment option for ventricular arrhythmias?
Sudden cardiac death can happen as a result of electrical disturbances that cause abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. Over half of people with heart failure die from an abnormal heart rhythm that causes a fatal cardiac arrest. The drugs we currently use to treat arrhythmias work by blocking ion channels - proteins that control heart electrical activity. But as well as preventing some arrhythmias, these drugs can also cause other arrhythmias. Dr Xin Wang and her team at the University of Manchester have discovered that a set of enzymes called MKK7, HDAC2 and KLF4 can protect the heart from arrhythmias, perhaps by controlling the presence of potassium ion channels. The BHF has now awarded the team a grant to investigate how this set of enzymes control ion channels and how they maintain normal heart electrical activities, protecting the heart from arrhythmias. They will also explore, in mice and human stem cells, whether interfering with MKK7 and HDAC could provide a new treatment option for arrhythmias.
Project details
| Grant amount | £189,364 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 July 2015 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/14/71/31063 |
| Status | Complete |
