Genomic and Proteomic Analysis of Myocarditis and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Myocarditis is defined as an inflammation of the myocardium that results in injury to the cardiac myocytes. Myocarditis is also thought to be a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) from evidence of viral persistence in the myocardium in patients with idiopathic DCM. Genome and proteome screening techniques that do not require mechanistic knowledge of disease pathogenesis have recently begun to reveal disease-specific profiles. These studies are now yielding novel mechanisms, biomarkers, and potential therapeutic targets. This article reviews several examples of noncandidate genomic and proteomic screening, as well as the potential strengths and pitfalls of these strategies for the evaluation of myocarditis and nonischemic DCM.