DLX2 drives vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease through glycolytic activation: a mechanism epigenetically regulated by HDAC2

Vascular calcification is a key pathological process contributing to cardiovascular mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). While HDAC2 is known to exert protective effects, its downstream mediators remain elusive. Here, we identify DLX2 as a critical pro-calcific driver and a target of HDAC2 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Transcriptomic analysis following HDAC2 overexpression revealed DLX2 as a key downregulated gene. Functional studies demonstrated that knockdown of DLX2...