Novel myocardial markers GADD45G and NDUFS5 i dentified by RNA-sequencing predicts left ventricular reverse remodeling in advanced non-ischemic heart failure: a retrospective cohort study

Background Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) has been detected in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) patients following optimal treatment. However, its prediction with only conventional modalities is often difficult. This study sought to examine whether RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of myocardium tissue samples could predict LVRR in NIDCM. Methods A total of 17 advanced NIDCM patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) below 30% who underwent cardiac biopsy from Left ventricle (LV) were prospectively recruited. They received optimal treatment and followed with echocardiogram every 6 months. Based on LVRR status after 12 months of treatment, patients were divided into the reverse remodeling (RR) or non-RR group. Tissue samples were analyzed by RNA-seq, and a functional analysis of differentially expressed genes was carried out. Results There were eight and nine patients in the RR and non-RR groups, respectively. No difference was found in age, sex, disease duration, LV end-diastolic diameter, and LVEF between the two groups. There were 155 genes that were differentially expressed between the two groups. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit ( NDUF ) S5 and Growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein ( GADD ) 45G , along with several genes related to the mitochondrial respiratory chain and ribosome, were significantly downregulated in the RR as compared to the non-RR group. Conclusion GADD45G and NDUFS5 are potential biomarkers for LVRR in patients with advanced NIDCM.