TGFβ-dependent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is required to generate cardiospheres from human adult heart biopsies.

ABSTRACT: Autologous cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) isolated as cardiospheres (CSps) represent a promising candidate for cardiac regenerative therapy. A better understanding of the origin and mechanisms underlying human CSps formation and maturation is undoubtedly required to enhance their cardiomyogenic potential. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key morphogenetic process that is implicated in the acquisition of stem cell-like properties in different adult tissues, and it is activated in the epicardium after ischemic injury to the heart. We investigated whether EMT is involved in the formation and differentiation of human CSps, revealing that an up-regulation of the expression of EMT-related genes accompanies CSps formation that is relative to primary explant-derived cells and CSp-d

SUBMITTER: Forte E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4146498 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature