The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) hosts linear polypeptides and fosters natural folding of proteins through ER-residing chaperones and enzymes. Failure of the ER to align and compose proper protein architecture leads to accumulation of misfolded/unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, which disturbs ER homeostasis to provoke ER stress. Presence of ER stress initiates the cytoprotective unfolded protein response (UPR) to restore ER homeostasis or instigates a rather maladaptive UPR to promote cell death. Although a wide array of cellular processes such as persistent autophagy, dysregulated mitophagy, and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines may contribute to the onset and progression of cardiometabolic diseases, it is well perceived that ER stress also evokes onset and development of cardiometabolic diseases, particularly, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. Meanwhile, these pathological conditions further aggravate ER stress, creating a rather vicious cycle. Here in this review, we aimed at summarizing and updating the available information on ER stress in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and chronic kidney disease, hoping to offer novel insights for the management of these cardiometabolic comorbidities through regulation of ER stress.
Alcohol‐related liver disease (ARLD) refers to a spectrum of hepatic damage triggered by excessive alcohol intake, resulting in inflamed and swollen livers, ultimately, liver cirrhosis. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a similar term denoting liver disorders encompassing steatosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent evidence has suggested a vital role for epigenetic factors, which modulate gene expression in the absence of changes in DNA sequence, in the onset and progression of liver disorders, to foster hepatic fibrogenesis and cirrhosis. Mounting findings have delineated that alcohol consumption extensively modulates liver epigenetics, thus, prompting the etiology of ARLD and ALD. Alcohol‐induced epigenetic modifications (AIEM) in the liver encompass histone modification, microRNA‐induced genetic modulation, DNA methylation, and alcohol‐evoked cell signaling that alters gene expression. Herein, we aim at summarizing key findings to decipher AIEM and its role in the onset and development of ARLD and ALD from the perspectives of both cellular and animal models of alcohol exposure. Furthermore, we will share our viewpoints on epigenetics‐based therapeutic options in the management of ARLD and ALD.
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