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Figure 1. MEOX1 is a master regulator of fibroblast activation and cardiac fibrosis. Alexanian et al.^[2] identified MEOX1 as a key regulator of fibroblast activation in the heart. TAC induces cardiac remodeling and fibrosis, which results in chromatin remodeling and BET protein binding to MEOX1 enhancer elements and transcriptional activation of MEOX1. Treatment with the small molecule BET inhibitor, JQ1, disengages BET proteins from the MEOX1 enhancer and prevents downstream engagement of MEOX1 target genes implicated in fibroblast activation and ECM deposition including Ctgf and Postn. BET: Bromodomain and extra terminal domain protein. TAC: Transverse aortic constriction; Meox1: mesenchyme homeobox 1; Postn: periostin; Ctgf: connective tissue growth factor. Figures created with BioRender.com.