In accordance with this hypothesis, a recent gene study showed an increased expression of 11 autophagy-related genes (CDKN1A, CXCR4, DIRAS3, HSP90AB1, ITGA3, PRKCD, TP53INP2, DAPK2, IFNG, PTK6, and TNFSF10) in AF [33]. Here, CXCR4 is linked to atrial fibrillation.