Ankyrin Repeat Domain 1: A Key Regulatory Factor and Emerging Therapeutic Target in Heart Disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide, highlighting the urgent need to identify effective therapeutic targets. Ankyrin repeat domain 1 (ANKRD1), also known as cardiac ankyrin repeat protein (CARP), is a member of the muscle ankyrin repeat protein (MARP) family. The unique multi-domain cooperative mechanism and dynamic nucleocytoplasmic shuttling associated with ANKRD1 confer increasingly significant roles in the pathogenesis and progression of CVD. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of the molecular structure of ANKRD1, elucidate the mechanisms underlying key cardiovascular pathological processes, including myocardial remodeling, cardiomyopathy, cardiac development, myocardial infarction, and heart failure, and comprehensively evaluate its potential as a therapeutic target. Furthermore, this review aims to provide new theoretical foundations and future research directions for the precision diagnosis and treatment of CVD.