Cardiomyogenesis in the developing heart is regulated by c-kit-positive cardiac stem cells.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Embryonic and fetal myocardial growth is characterized by a dramatic increase in myocyte number, but whether the expansion of the myocyte compartment is dictated by activation and commitment of resident cardiac stem cells (CSCs), division of immature myocytes or both is currently unknown.

Objective

In this study, we tested whether prenatal cardiac development is controlled by activation and differentiation of CSCs and whether division of c-kit-positive CSCs in the mouse heart is triggered by spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations.

Methods and results

We report that embryonic-fetal c-kit-positive CSCs are self-renewing, clonogenic and multipotent in vitro and in vivo. The growth and commitment of c-kit-positive CSCs is responsible for the generation of the myocyte p

SUBMITTER: Ferreira-Martins J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3292662 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature