The central dogma of molecular biology illustrates the importance of mRNAs as critical mediators between genetic information encoded at the DNA level and proteomes/metabolomes that determine the diverse functional outcome at the cellular and organ levels. Although the total number of protein-producing (coding) genes in the mammalian genome is ~20,000, it is evident that the intricate processes of cardiac development and the highly regulated physiological regulation in the normal heart, as well as the complex manifestation of pathological remodeling in a diseased heart, would require a much higher degree of complexity at the transcriptome level and beyond. Indeed, in addition to an extensive regulatory scheme implemented at the level of transcription, the complexity of transcript processing following transcription is dramatically increased. RNA processing includes post-transcriptional modification, alternative splicing, editing and transportation, ribosomal loading, and degradation. While transcriptional control of cardiac genes has been a major focus of investigation in recent decades, a great deal of progress has recently been made in our understanding of how post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA contributes to transcriptome complexity. In this review, we highlight some of the key molecular processes and major players in RNA maturation and post-transcriptional regulation. In addition, we provide an update to the recent progress made in the discovery of RNA processing regulators implicated in cardiac development and disease. While post-transcriptional modulation is a complex and challenging problem to study, recent technological advancements are paving the way for a new era of exciting discoveries and potential clinical translation in the context of cardiac biology and heart disease.

中文翻译：

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心脏发育和疾病中的 mRNA 代谢：转录后的生命。

分子生物学的中心法则说明了 mRNA 作为在 DNA 水平编码的遗传信息与决定细胞和器官水平不同功能结果的蛋白质组/代谢组之间的关键介质的重要性。尽管哺乳动物基因组中产生蛋白质（编码）的基因总数约为 20,000 个，但很明显，心脏发育的复杂过程和正常心脏中高度调节的生理调节，以及病理重塑的复杂表现在患病的心脏中，在转录组水平及更高水平上需要更高程度的复杂性。事实上，除了在转录水平上实施的广泛监管方案外，转录后转录处理的复杂性显着增加。RNA 加工包括转录后修饰、可变剪接、编辑和运输、核糖体加载和降解。虽然近几十年来心脏基因的转录控制一直是研究的主要焦点，但最近在我们理解 mRNA 的转录后调控如何导致转录组复杂性方面取得了很大进展。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了 RNA 成熟和转录后调控中的一些关键分子过程和主要参与者。此外，我们提供了最近在发现与心脏发育和疾病有关的 RNA 加工调节剂方面取得的进展。虽然转录后调制是一个复杂且具有挑战性的研究问题，