Cardiac reprogramming factor Gata4 reduces postinfarct cardiac fibrosis through direct repression of the profibrotic mediator snail.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The administration of a variety of reprogramming factor cocktails has now been shown to reprogram cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells. However, reductions in ventricular fibrosis observed after reprogramming factor administration seem to far exceed the extent of induced cardiomyocyte-like cell generation in vivo. We investigated whether reprogramming factor administration might primarily play a role in activating antifibrotic molecular pathways.

Methods

Adult rat cardiac fibroblasts were infected with lentivirus encoding the transcription factors Gata4, Mef2c, or Tbx5, all 3 vectors, or a green fluorescent protein control vector. Gene and protein expression assays were performed to identify relevant antifibrotic targets of these factors. The a

SUBMITTER: Mathison M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5647235 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature