Erin Drew
Bio 106
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “Multiple mechanisms behind disease associated with unexpected
heart attacks: Understanding mutations may lead to treatments for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.”
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 April 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404214742.htm
Article Assignment
Unexpected heart attacks can be extremely fatal. Many believe that Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy is caused by strenuous exercise. Although, recent research shows that over three
hundred different mutations of the heart can cause this strain which can result in fatal heart attack. The
article goes in depth about a few of these mutations, including two mutations in myosin, which is the
lever shaped muscle protein involved in then force contracting the heart. This mutation alters the
composition of the amino acid chain which changes the contracting of the heart. An experiment was
conducted involving a wing muscle on a fruit fly. It examines the mutation impact on the mechanical job
of force and contracting. This supported the hypothesis that the mutation effects the contraction of the
heart and it becomes irregular. More studies are expected in the future, but these results show that
hypertonic cardiomyopathy can occur from many things not just strenuous exercise.
This article connects to Bio 106 class because we have spent numerous classes talking about the
heart, and conditions of the heart. The authors wrote this article to inform the readers that this
condition can affect many people for numerous different reasons, and many thought this condition only
effected the heart after one specific event. It is important to understand that this condition can affect
others because if this happens to you, or someone you know you can further understand the condition
and why it is happening. Many implications can come from this condition but mainly a serve heart attack
which can be fatal.