Mitochondria are the part of the cell that transform the food we eat into a form that cells can use, adenine triphosphate (ATP). The genetic instructions (genes) for the components in mitochondria required to make ATP are housed in both the mitochondria and the nucleus. Importantly, the instructions must be coordinately carried out to have functional mitochondria. Whether variants in genes that contain the instructions for making the proteins in mitochondria contribute to a person’s risk for heart diseases is not known. We will look for variants in the mitochondrial genes housed in both the mitochondria and nucleus that convey the risk of several types of heart disease. We will so evaluate whether variants in mitochondrial genes correlate with changes in heart structure and the way the heart functions that may put a person at risk of heart disease. We anticipate that it will take us about 2-3 years to complete this project. Identification of variants in the genes for the mitochondrial components could lend insights into new drug targets for treating heart disease. Also, the identification of variants in the genes for the parts that make up mitochondria could be used to determine whether a person is at high risk for developing heart disease.
