Lead author Dr. Roger Foo of the University of Cambridge in England said the marks -- known as DNA methylation -- are crucial in normal development allowing different cells to become different tissues despite having the same genes. The cells continue to occur throughout life in response to environmental changes.
"DNA methylation leaves 'marks' on the genome, and there is already good evidence that these marks are strongly influenced by environment and diet," Foo said in a statement. "Linking all these things together suggests this may be the 'missing link' between environmental factors and heart failure."
Foo and colleagues examined diseased tissue coming from male patients who had undergone heart transplants at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and found DNA methylation not present in the healthy hearts of age-matched victims of road traffic accidents.
The study, published in PLoS ONE, suggests the process could underlie development of different types of heart disease and may pinpoint those people at risk of heart disease, or in whom the disease will progress fastest.
"This would radically alter how we manage patients with heart disease, allowing us to target treatments and tailor monitoring," Foo says.
