Transcriptome changes in a rat model of progressive heart failure

Heart failure is among the leading causes of death globally. Ventricular failure progresses through a hypertrophic compensatory phase followed by failure of the ventricle function through rapid decompensation. In order to unravel right heart specific mechanisms of disease, rat animal models were established that (i) reflect the slowly progressive mode of compensation / decompensation and (ii) allow comparative analyses of left versus right heart failure in the same experimental set up. Differential gene expression analysis was performed for all three treatment groups (sham, AOB, PAB), at both time points (compensation, decompensation) and for both ventricles as well as the septum Overall design: From both phases of AOB and PAB, as well as from matching sham-operated animals, whole heart tissues were isolated and total RNA was extracted from the left ventricle, from the right ventricle and from the septum area. Then, polyA mRNAseq was performed. A total of 33 animals were included in this study.