Recently, Pulmonary Hypertension News shared some burgeoning medical news: that the DNMT3B gene has now been linked to the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and a rare form of chronic high blood pressure called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat study. Check out the full study findings published in Science Advances.
DNMT3B Gene
According to GeneCards, the DNMT3B gene is a protein coding gene that plays a role in DNA methylation, which is important for development:
CpG methylation is an epigenetic modification that is important for embryonic development, imprinting, and X-chromosome inactivation. This gene encodes a DNA methyltransferase which is thought to function in de novo methylation, rather than maintenance methylation.
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism. What Is Epigenetics explains that the process:
occurs by the addition of a methyl (CH3) group to DNA, thereby often modifying the function of the genes and affecting gene expression.
This process can activate, silence, or inhibit gene expression. For a while, researchers have questioned whether DNA methylation causes the development of PH. So researchers from the Tongji University School of Medicine used rat models of pulmonary hypertension to understand how this process, and DNMT enzymes produced by the gene, impacted PH development.
The Research
To begin, researchers induced hypoxia in the rats, as well as injected them with monocrotaline (MCT). Together, these contributed to low oxygen, high blood pressure, hypertension, and thicker heart tissue, all key components of PH. After testing these rat models after 3 weeks, researchers determined that these rats (MCT) experienced a 1.8x increase in DNA methylation than the control group. Those who experienced hypoxia had a 1.4x increase in methylation.
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
As a chronic and progressive form of high blood pressure, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) causes the thickening or hardening of pulmonary arteries. As these arteries narrow or thicken, it becomes difficult to move the blood through or receive oxygen. Thus, the heart begins working harder and harder to achieve this, causing heart damage. Females are 2x more likely to develop PAH than males. It typically affects those between ages 30 and 60. An estimated 500-1,000 new cases of PAH are diagnosed each year.
While PAH is most commonly caused by BMPR2 gene mutations, it can also be caused by HIV, lung or liver disease, autoimmune diseases, and congestive heart failure. Symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath, especially during exercise or other activity
- Swelling in the lower extremities
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Blue lips or fingers
- Dizziness
- Fainting
