Haofei Wang, Yanhan Dong, Yiran Song, Marazzano Colon, Casey Grosso, Nicholas Yapundich, Shea Ricketts, Xingyan Liu, Gregory Farber, Smin L. Liu, Yunzhe Qian, Li Qian, Jiandong Liu
{"title":"Spatially guided in vivo single-cell functional genomics of postnatal heart","authors":"Haofei Wang, Yanhan Dong, Yiran Song, Marazzano Colon, Casey Grosso, Nicholas Yapundich, Shea Ricketts, Xingyan Liu, Gregory Farber, Smin L. Liu, Yunzhe Qian, Li Qian, Jiandong Liu","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00861-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00861-z","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding how spatial organization and cell−cell interactions shape gene regulatory programs is central to decoding tissue development and function. The transition at birth, marked by increased circulatory demands and rapid tissue growth, requires precise spatiotemporal coordination of cardiac maturation. In this study, we generated a high-resolution spatial and temporal atlas of the postnatal mouse heart by integrating single-nucleus RNA sequencing with image-based spatial transcriptomics. This framework revealed dynamic cellular interactions, niche-specific signaling and transcriptional programs guiding cardiomyocyte maturation. To functionally test prioritized regulators in vivo and at scale, we developed PIP-seq (probe-based indel-detectable Perturb-seq), a high-throughput platform that detects single guide RNA identity, infers gene editing and profiles transcription from fixed nuclei. Applying PIP-seq to the developing postnatal heart, we identified 21 previously uncharacterized regulators of cardiomyocyte maturation, including genes essential for sarcomere assembly, metabolic reprogramming and electrophysiological transitions. Together, our findings define how microenvironmental signals and intrinsic gene programs cooperate to guide heart maturation and establish a broadly applicable framework for functional genomics in complex tissues. By integrating single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, Wang, Dong, Song et al. generated a high-resolution spatiotemporal atlas of the postnatal mouse heart, identifying 21 regulators of cardiomyocyte maturation and a spatially coordinated regulatory network underlying heart development.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"848-868"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44161-026-00861-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148907240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shaoqi Wang, Yuzhong Tang, Yang Sui, Hongqiang Zhao, Asifullah Khan, Wanqing Yin, Qiuli Chen, Tingfeng Xu, Zhaoqi Liu, Zhang Zhang, Fei Wang, Shuangli Mi, Kelvin Supriami, Min Seo Kim, Yuan Zhou, Hongjie Shi, Xudong Xing, Ying Yang, Yajing Hao, Jianping Li, Jie Du, Chenglong Yu, Sarah Urbut, Michael C. Honigberg, Pradeep Natarajan, JinPing Liu, Akl C. Fahed, Minxian Wang
{"title":"Genetic evidence supports the combined targeting of lipoprotein(a) and LDL cholesterol to reduce coronary artery disease risk","authors":"Shaoqi Wang, Yuzhong Tang, Yang Sui, Hongqiang Zhao, Asifullah Khan, Wanqing Yin, Qiuli Chen, Tingfeng Xu, Zhaoqi Liu, Zhang Zhang, Fei Wang, Shuangli Mi, Kelvin Supriami, Min Seo Kim, Yuan Zhou, Hongjie Shi, Xudong Xing, Ying Yang, Yajing Hao, Jianping Li, Jie Du, Chenglong Yu, Sarah Urbut, Michael C. Honigberg, Pradeep Natarajan, JinPing Liu, Akl C. Fahed, Minxian Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00865-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00865-9","url":null,"abstract":"Distinct genetic mechanisms govern how lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) promote atherosclerosis. It remains unclear whether targeting both provides additive cardiovascular benefits. Here we use coding loss-of-function variants in LPA and PCSK9 and genetic scores associated with Lp(a) and LDL-C levels to evaluate the effects of lowering Lp(a) and LDL-C on coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. Among 408,039 individuals from the UK Biobank, LPA or PCSK9 loss-of-function carriers have lower CAD risk than noncarriers (odds ratio (OR) 0.91 and 0.81). Carriers of both variants have even lower CAD risk (OR 0.73). Genetic lowering of Lp(a) and LDL-C showed a stronger reduction of CAD risk (OR 0.70) than either trait individually (OR 0.85 and 0.81) in the two-factor genetic score analysis. Among statin users, Lp(a) reduction was linearly associated with CAD risk. A phenome-wide association study revealed that combined therapy was associated with cardiometabolic benefits without adverse effects. The additive benefits were replicated in 65,171 individuals from the Mass General Brigham Biobank. Wang et al. reveal that the genetic loss of LPA and PCSK9 results in additive cardiovascular risk reductions, supporting the combination of lipoprotein(a)- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-reducing agents in the clinic.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"835-847"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148889713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A multiancestry polygenic risk score improves stratification in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy","authors":"Harshvir S. Bal, Akhil Pampana, Amrita Nayak, Mokshad Gaonkar, Sahaj Patel, Krishin Yerabolu, Nehal Vekariya, Nirav Patel, Rajat Kalra, Peng Li, Garima Arora, Pankaj Arora","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00866-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00866-8","url":null,"abstract":"Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has traditionally been considered a Mendelian disease driven by pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in sarcomere-encoding genes (SARC-HCM-P/LP). However, these variants explain only one-third of cases, and variable penetrance suggests additional polygenic contributions. Existing HCM polygenic risk scores (PRSs), largely derived from European-ancestry cohorts, have limited generalizability. Here we develop a multiancestry PRS using summary statistics from the BioBank Japan, Million Veteran Program and a meta-analysis of seven European-ancestry cohorts and evaluate its association with HCM in a USA-based multiancestry population. Individuals with the highest PRS quintile had a 2.11-fold increased risk of HCM in the overall population and nearly 70-fold higher risk among SARC-HCM-P/LP carriers. The PRS improved risk stratification and showed trends toward improved ancestry-specific prediction. Among individuals with HCM, a higher PRS was also associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. These findings support the integration of multiancestry PRSs into HCM risk assessment and prognostication. Bal et al. develop a multiancestry polygenic risk score for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and demonstrate its association with the disease in a heterogeneous national population.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"891-903"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ALPK3 gene addition to restore sarcomeric quality control","authors":"Julian Grünewald, Christian Kupatt","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00867-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00867-7","url":null,"abstract":"Loss-of-function variants of ALPK3 can cause severe forms of cardiomyopathy with no curative treatment. A therapy that delivers full-length ALPK3 prevents and even reverses disease in mice, restores contractile function in human cardiac organoids, and rescues impaired contraction in an organoid model of TTN-truncation cardiomyopathy.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"786-788"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148868210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vishnu Kadiyala, Kyndaron Reinier, Sumeet S. Chugh
{"title":"The neglected role of lethal arrhythmia in the sudden death of stroke survivors","authors":"Vishnu Kadiyala, Kyndaron Reinier, Sumeet S. Chugh","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00868-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00868-6","url":null,"abstract":"The clinical overlap between conditions that affect the heart and the brain has long been recognized, but investigations have focused primarily on cardioembolic stroke. In this Comment, we examine the links between cerebral injury and ventricular arrhythmia and raise the hypothesis that stroke is mechanistically linked to sudden death.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"779-781"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148820684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging clinical and experimental research to unravel mechanisms of the cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic syndrome","authors":"Katherine R. Tuttle","doi":"10.1038/s44161-026-00863-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44161-026-00863-x","url":null,"abstract":"The cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a growing public health challenge, but its interconnected mechanisms remain poorly understood. Human and preclinical studies have largely been conducted in isolation. Integrating clinical and experimental research may improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of CKM syndrome.","PeriodicalId":74245,"journal":{"name":"Nature cardiovascular research","volume":"5 9","pages":"782-783"},"PeriodicalIF":12.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148802687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}