The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the treatment and diagnosis of cardiovascular
disease, including, but not limited to, atherosclerosis, advanced atherosclerosis /
plaque rupture,
ischemia / reperfusion, hypertension,
restenosis, cardiac
calcification, allo / xenograft valvular calcifications, and arterial
inflammation. Specifically, the present invention identifies and describes genes which are differentially expressed in cardiovascular
disease states, relative to their expression in normal, or non-cardiovascular
disease states, and / or in response to manipulations relevant to cardiovascular disease. Further, the present invention identifies and describes genes via the ability of their
gene products to interact with
gene products involved in cardiovascular disease. Still further, the present invention provides methods for the identification and therapeutic use of compounds as treatments of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the present invention provides methods for the
diagnostic monitoring of patients undergoing
clinical evaluation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and for monitoring the
efficacy of compounds in clinical trials. Additionally, the present invention describes methods for the
diagnostic evaluation and prognosis of various cardiovascular diseases, and for the identification of subjects exhibiting a predisposition to such conditions. Moreover, the present invention is further based in part on the generation and phenotypic characterization of transgenic knockout homozygous rchd534
mutant mice which display characteristic cardiovascular disease symptoms. Such transgenic knockout homozygous rchd534
mutant mice are useful models for the analysis and characterization of rchd534
protein involvement in development and
homeostasis of the cardiovascular
system and tissue-specific regulation of the TGF-beta signaling pathways.