BECN1 and persistent truncus arteriosus: As Beclin1 plays a crucial role in the initiation of autophagy and biogenesis of autophagosomes, we sought to investigate the impact of Beclin1-mediated autophagy on cardiac remodeling and dysfunction following TAC by using a cardiac-specific gene knockdown of Beclin1 through in vivo intramyocardial delivery of lentivirus-encoded Beclin1 shRNA one week prior to TAC.