IRF3 and IRF7 have been reported to act as negative regulators of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting ERK1/250 and nuclear factor-κB signaling51, respectively, although in another study, IRF3 was claimed to regulate cardiac fibrosis but not hypertrophy in mice subjected to angiotensin II-induced hypertension52. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK3 and cardiac hypertrophy.