Adult cardiac-derived stem cells: differentiation and survival regulators.

摘要

At present, heart failure is one of the most concerning diseases worldwide. To develop efficient treatments, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of the biological characteristics of stem cells in the heart. We recently established and characterized c-kit-positive cardiac stem cells obtained from adult rats. Moreover, we established left atrium-derived pluripotent cells that can differentiate either into skeletal/cardiac myocytes or adipocytes in a methylcellulose-based Methocult medium with almost 100% purity. Microarray and signaling pathway analyses showed that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is a key molecule in the regulation of the differentiation switch. Indeed, TGF-β1 simultaneously inhibits adipogenesis and activates myogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. However, the effect of TGF-β varies with the developmental stage, dosage, and timing of the treatment.