Gene expression studies in human abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), defined as a dilatation of the aorta (>3 cm) below the renal arteries, has a complex etiology and it is associated with a risk of rupture. Surgical repair, open or endovascular, is the only available treatment option. Genome-wide studies using microarrays with the purpose of identifying mRNAs and microRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of AAA have been published recently. They provided strong evidence that genes involved in immune and inflammatory pathways and a wide range of other biological functions, such as calcium signaling, cell adhesion or regulation of apoptosis differ in expression when comparing aortic tissue taken from AAA and non-aneurysmal controls. MicroRNAs that control gene expression were also found to be up or down regulated providing a potential mechanism for differences in mRNA levels in the AAA tissue. Future studies to confirm these findings and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of pathophysiology are needed to develop better diagnostic tests, using biomarkers, and to identify new therapeutic targets for AAA.