Coordinating Regulation of Gene Expression in Cardiovascular Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally and encompasses a wide range of conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and vascular disorders. While the genetic basis of many cardiovascular disorders has been well established, there is a growing appreciation that regulatory mechanisms governing gene expression—both at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels—play an equally critical role in determining disease onset, progression, and therapeutic response.

This Special Issue aims to explore the complex regulatory networks that coordinate gene expression in cardiovascular health and disease. Gene regulation in cardiac and vascular cells is a highly dynamic process influenced by a multitude of factors: transcription factors, chromatin state, DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, RNA-binding proteins, and epigenetic modulators. These mechanisms do not operate in isolation; rather, they form intricate and interconnected systems that adapt cellular behavior in response to physiological signals, stress, injury, and environmental exposures.

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies, single-cell omics, genome editing, and computational biology have enabled researchers to dissect these regulatory layers with unprecedented resolution. These discoveries are uncovering novel therapeutic targets, disease biomarkers, and molecular pathways that can be manipulated to prevent or reverse cardiovascular dysfunction.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and methodological papers that advance our understanding of how gene expression is regulated and coordinated in the cardiovascular system. Contributions that integrate experimental and computational approaches, or that bridge basic science with clinical relevance, are particularly encouraged.

We welcome submissions exploring a wide range of topics relevant to gene expression regulation in cardiovascular disease, including but not limited to the following:

• Transcriptional control of cardiac development, remodeling, and failure;
• Epigenetic regulation (DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin architecture) in cardiac and vascular cells;
• Role of non-coding RNAs (microRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs) in regulating gene expression during CVD;
• Post-transcriptional mechanisms (alternative splicing, RNA editing, RNA-binding proteins);
• Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to map gene expression in diseased tissues;
• Gene-environment interactions and their impact on cardiovascular gene regulation;
• Sex- and age-specific differences in gene expression networks;
• Therapeutic modulation of gene expression using small molecules, RNA therapeutics, or CRISPR-based tools;
• Bioinformatics and systems biology approaches to decipher regulatory networks;
• Clinical implications of gene regulation studies in diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment of CVD.

Dr. Nirmal Parajuli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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