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Review
. 2023 Oct 28;24(21):15699.
doi: 10.3390/ijms242115699.

DNA Methylation and Telomeres-Their Impact on the Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation during Cardiac Aging

Arkadiusz Grzeczka  1 , Szymon Graczyk  1 , Pawel Kordowitzki  1
Affiliations
Review

DNA Methylation and Telomeres-Their Impact on the Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation during Cardiac Aging

Arkadiusz Grzeczka et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by irregular and increased atrial muscle activation. This high-frequency activation obliterates the synchronous work of the atria and ventricles, reducing myocardial performance, which can lead to severe heart failure or stroke. The risk of developing atrial fibrillation depends largely on the patient's history. Cardiovascular diseases are considered aging-related pathologies; therefore, deciphering the role of telomeres and DNA methylation (mDNA), two hallmarks of aging, is likely to contribute to a better understanding and prophylaxis of AF. In honor of Prof. Elizabeth Blackburn's 75th birthday, we dedicate this review to the discovery of telomeres and her contribution to research on aging.

Keywords: age; aging; atrial fibrillation; chronological age; epigenetic age; mDNA; methylation; telomere length; telomeres.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic showing the hexameric sequence (TTAGGG) of telomeres and a confocal picture in which a spread of chromosomes (blue) in metaphase is shown with stained telomeres (red). The arrow indicates the decrease of telomere length. The figure has been created with biorender.com (accessed on 10 June 2023).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic showing the potential differences between chronological aging (x-axis) and biological aging (y-axis). Biological age could vary in relation to aging-related phenotypes and/or diseases; for instance, due to a healthy lifestyle a person could have a younger biological age compared to their chronological age (positive age gap), or, due to an unhealthy lifestyle and disease, a person could biologically age more, and therefore, have a higher biological age compared to chronological age. The figure has been created with biorender.com (accessed on 10 June 2023).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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