Identification of a Cardiac Disease Modifier Gene Using Forward Genetics in the Mouse

摘要

Heart failure, the clinical syndrome that arises from inadequate cardiac pump function, is known to be influenced by genetic factors. However, thus far unbiased genetic approaches in humans have met with limited success in identifying heart failure modifier genes [1], likely because of substantial genetic heterogeneity between patients and difficulty controlling environmental factors. These limitations can be overcome in model systems such as the mouse, where a wealth of inbred lines, polymorphic markers, and well-characterized heart failure models are available. Taking advantage of these resources, Wheeler and colleagues provide in this issue of PLoS Genetics compelling evidence that a little-studied, cardiac-specific protein kinase, cardiac Troponin I-interacting kinase (Tnni3k), is a strong modifier of the development of heart failure [2].