Dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy arise from mutations in many genes. TTN, the gene encoding the sarcomere protein titin, has been insufficiently analyzed for cardiomyopathy mutations because of its enormous size. We analyzed TTN in 312 subjects with dilated cardiomyopathy, 231 subjects with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 249 controls by using next-generation or dideoxy sequencing. We evaluated deleterious variants for cosegregation in families and assessed clinical characteristics. We identified 72 unique mutations (25 nonsense, 23 frameshift, 23 splicing, and 1 large tandem insertion) that altered full-length titin. Among subjects studied by means of next-generation sequencing, the frequency of TTN mutations was significantly higher among subjects with dilated cardiomyopathy (54 of 203 [27%]) than among subjects with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (3 of 231 [1%], P=3×10⁻¹⁶) or controls (7 of 249 [3%], P=9×10⁻¹⁴). TTN mutations cosegregated with dilated cardiomyopathy in families (combined lod score, 11.1) with high (>95%) observed penetrance after the age of 40 years. Mutations associated with dilated cardiomyopathy were overrepresented in the titin A-band but were absent from the Z-disk and M-band regions of titin (P≤0.01 for all comparisons). Overall, the rates of cardiac outcomes were similar in subjects with and those without TTN mutations, but adverse events occurred earlier in male mutation carriers than in female carriers (P=4×10⁻⁵). TTN truncating mutations are a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy, occurring in approximately 25% of familial cases of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and in 18% of sporadic cases. Incorporation of sequencing approaches that detect TTN truncations into genetic testing for dilated cardiomyopathy should substantially increase test sensitivity, thereby allowing earlier diagnosis and therapeutic intervention for many patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Defining the functional effects of TTN truncating mutations should improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy. (Funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and others.)

Mutations in sarcomere protein genes can cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disorder characterized by myocyte enlargement, fibrosis, and impaired ventricular relaxation. Here, we demonstrate that sarcomere protein gene mutations activate proliferative and profibrotic signals in non-myocyte cells to produce pathologic remodeling in HCM. Gene expression analyses of non-myocyte cells isolated from HCM mouse hearts showed increased levels of RNAs encoding cell-cycle proteins, Tgf-β, periostin, and other profibrotic proteins. Markedly increased BrdU labeling, Ki67 antigen expression, and periostin immunohistochemistry in the fibrotic regions of HCM hearts confirmed the transcriptional profiling data. Genetic ablation of periostin in HCM mice reduced but did not extinguish non-myocyte proliferation and fibrosis. In contrast, administration of Tgf-β–neutralizing antibodies abrogated non-myocyte proliferation and fibrosis. Chronic administration of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist losartan to mutation-positive, hypertrophy-negative (prehypertrophic) mice prevented the emergence of hypertrophy, non-myocyte proliferation, and fibrosis. Losartan treatment did not reverse pathologic remodeling of established HCM but did reduce non-myocyte proliferation. These data define non-myocyte activation of Tgf-β signaling as a pivotal mechanism for increased fibrosis in HCM and a potentially important factor contributing to diastolic dysfunction and heart failure. Preemptive pharmacologic inhibition of Tgf-β signals warrants study in human patients with sarcomere gene mutations.

Inherited cardiomyopathies include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. These diseases have a substantial genetic component and predispose to sudden cardiac death, which provides a high incentive to identify and sequence disease genes in affected individuals to identify pathogenic variants. Clinical genetic testing, which is now widely available, can be a powerful tool for identifying presymptomatic individuals. However, locus and allelic heterogeneity are the rule, as are clinical variability and reduced penetrance of disease in carriers of pathogenic variants. These factors, combined with genetic and phenotypic overlap between different cardiomyopathies, have made clinical genetic testing a lengthy and costly process. Next-generation sequencing technologies have removed many limitations such that comprehensive testing is now feasible, shortening diagnostic odysseys for clinically complex cases. Remaining challenges include the incomplete understanding of the spectrum of benign and pathogenic variants in the cardiomyopathy genes, which is a source of inconclusive results. This review provides an overview of inherited cardiomyopathies with a focus on their genetic etiology and diagnostic testing in the postgenomic era.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetically heterogeneous cardiac muscle disorder with a diverse natural history, characterized by unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), with histopathological hallmarks including myocyte enlargement, myocyte disarray and myocardial fibrosis. Although these features can cause significant cardiac symptoms, many young individuals with HCM are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) may occur as the initial clinical manifestation. Over the past few decades, HCM has been considered a disease of sarcomere, and typically as an autosomal dominant disease with variable expressivity and incomplete penetrance. Important insights into the genetic landscape of HCM have enhanced our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis, empowered gene-based diagnostic testing to identify at-risk individuals, and offered potential targets for the development of therapeutic agents. This article reviews the current knowledge on the clinical genetics and management of HCM.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited heart disease with serious adverse outcomes, including heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. The discovery that mutations in sarcomere protein genes cause HCM has enabled the development of mouse models that recapitulate clinical manifestations of disease. Studies in these models have provided unexpected insights into the biophysical and biochemical properties of mutated contractile proteins and may help to improve clinical diagnosis and management of patients with HCM.

The transcriptome is subject to multiple changes during pathogenesis, including the use of alternate 5′ start-sites that can affect transcription levels and output. Current RNA sequencing techniques can assess mRNA levels, but do not robustly detect changes in 5′ start-site use. Here, we developed a transcriptome sequencing strategy that detects genome-wide changes in start-site usage (5′RNA-Seq) and applied this methodology to identify regulatory events that occur in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Compared with transcripts from WT mice, 92 genes had altered start-site usage in a mouse model of HCM, including four-and-a-half LIM domains protein 1 (Fhl1). HCM-induced altered transcriptional regulation of Fhl1 resulted in robust myocyte expression of a distinct protein isoform, a response that was conserved in humans with genetic or acquired cardiomyopathies. Genetic ablation of Fhl1 in HCM mice was deleterious, which suggests that Fhl1 transcriptional changes provide salutary effects on stressed myocytes in this disease. Because Fhl1 is a chromosome X–encoded gene, stress-induced changes in its transcription may contribute to gender differences in the clinical severity of HCM. Our findings indicate that 5′RNA-Seq has the potential to identify genome-wide changes in 5′ start-site usage that are associated with pathogenic phenotypes.