Figure 1. A model for integrating histone marks, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and chromatin architecture in heart failure.

The epigenomic regulation of cardiac phenotype occurs at multiple interacting scales. Histone isoforms, post-translational modification, and nucleosome distribution influence local transcription. lncRNAs have emerged as powerful regulators of gene expression, interacting with chromatin-modifying enzymes and influencing their histone targets. Together with other chromatin regulatory proteins, histone modifications and lncRNAs establish local chromatin accessibility and global chromatin architecture, facilitating short- and long-range regulatory interactions that enable cell type-specific transcriptomes in healthy and diseased conditions.