# Post-transcriptional regulation of cardiac hypertrophy

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $376,824

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Heart failure represents a substantial health and economic burden on the US. Despite current treatments, the
incidence of heart failure - along with its associated morbidity and mortality - continues to rise. Given these
clinical observations, new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed and understanding the molecular
mechanisms responsible for stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction will be key to develop the
necessary medical therapies. Pathologic cardiac remodeling is mediated by increased synthesis of specific
proteins in cardiomyocytes. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the transcriptional
changes occurring in the remodeling heart, very little is known about how post-transcriptional events control
the synthesis of maladaptive proteins in the stressed myocardium. In this proposal we will examine the role of
METTL3-mediated m6A mRNA methylation in the heart as a novel pathway regulating cardiac hypertrophy. We
hypothesize that METTL3-dependent mRNA methylation regulates cardiac hypertrophy by favoring the
translation of specific pro-hypertrophic mRNAs. For the first time, utilizing gain- and loss-of-function
approaches we will characterize this novel pro-hypertrophic program, establish the molecular mechanism by
which m6A regulates the life of select mRNAs and examine its role in clinically relevant animal models. The
achievement of the proposed aims will allow the uncovering of a novel mechanism responsible for post-
transcriptional regulation of cardiac hypertrophy with obvious therapeutics ramifications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9902509
- **Project number:** 5R01HL136951-04
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Federica Accornero
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $376,824
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9902509

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9902509, Post-transcriptional regulation of cardiac hypertrophy (5R01HL136951-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9902509. Licensed CC0.

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