Adult human cardiomyocytes coexpress vimentin and Ki67 in heart transplant rejection and in dilated cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate whether adult human cardiomyocytes may reexpress vimentin and whether this is linked to cellular activation.


METHODS
Myocardial samples of 81 heart transplant recipients (n=183) and patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (n=10) were investigated by immunohistochemistry with the use of the marker molecule vimentin, the muscle-specific protein desmin, and Ki67, a marker for cell activation.


RESULTS
Vimentin protein expression in cardiomyocytes was found in 28 samples of transplant recipients and 5 myocardial samples of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Coexpression of vimentin and Ki67 was found in 52 of 340 vimentin-positive cardiomyocytes.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the vimentin/Ki67 coexpression indicates cell activation processes as the result of different growth stimuli.
Behr
T M
TM
Department of Cardiology, University of Munich, Germany.
Spes
C H
CH
Pongratz
D E
DE
Weiss
M
M
Meiser
B
B
Uberfuhr
P
P
Theisen
K
K
Angermann
C E
CE
D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016193:G1 Phase; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000378:metabolism*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D016192:Resting Phase, Cell Cycle; D014746:Vimentin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D014746:Vimentin