Heart Failure and Diabetes: Role of ATM

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus (DM), exponentially increases the risk of heart failure. The increase in oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction caused by DM can lead to DNA damage and the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM) is a DNA damage response protein with a primary nuclear function to regulate cell cycle progression in response to double-strand DNA breaks, acts as a redox sensor, and facilitates DNA repair. ATM deficiency associates with the development of insulin resistance and DM. Consequently, patients with Ataxia telangiectasia, a rare autosomal recessive disorder, have an increased risk of developing heart failure. The main objective of this review is to summarize the shared metabolic and cardiac abnormalities associated with DM and ATM deficiency, with a focus on the development of heart failure.