Regenerating new heart with stem cells
Piero Anversa, … , Marcello Rota, Annarosa Leri
Piero Anversa, … , Marcello Rota, Annarosa Leri
Published January 2, 2013
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2013;123(1):62-70. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI63068.
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Regenerating new heart with stem cells

Abstract

This article discusses current understanding of myocardial biology, emphasizing the regeneration potential of the adult human heart and the mechanisms involved. In the last decade, a novel conceptual view has emerged. The heart is no longer considered a postmitotic organ, but is viewed as a self-renewing organ characterized by a resident stem cell compartment responsible for tissue homeostasis and cardiac repair following injury. Additionally, HSCs possess the ability to transdifferentiate and acquire the cardiomyocyte, vascular endothelial, and smooth muscle cell lineages. Both cardiac and hematopoietic stem cells may be used therapeutically in an attempt to reverse the devastating consequences of chronic heart failure of ischemic and nonischemic origin.

Authors

Piero Anversa, Jan Kajstura, Marcello Rota, Annarosa Leri

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Figure 1

Human CSCs.

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Human CSCs. (A) Cluster of c-kit–positive CSCs (green) surrounded by fib...
(A) Cluster of c-kit–positive CSCs (green) surrounded by fibronectin (fib; yellow). Myocytes are labeled by α-sarcomeric actin (α-SA) (white). White rectangle indicates the area shown at higher magnification at right. Scale bar: 5 μm. Connexin 43 (Cnx43; red) and N-cadherin (N-Cadh; magenta) are expressed between c-kit–positive CSCs and between CSCs and cardiomyocytes (arrows). Scale bar: 10 μm. (B) Clone derived from deposition of a single c-kit–positive CSC in a well of a Terasaki plate. Cells in the clone are all c-kit positive (green). Scale bar: 200 μm. (C) In differentiating medium, clonal c-kit–positive CSCs differentiate into myocytes (α-SA, red), smooth muscle cells (α-smooth muscle actin [α-SMA]; magenta), endothelial cells (von Willebrand factor [vWf], yellow), and fibroblasts (procollagen [procoll], blue). Some undifferentiated c-kit–positive cells (green) are also present. Scale bar: 50 μm.