Myocyte death, growth, and regeneration in cardiac hypertrophy and failure.
The accepted paradigm considers the adult mammalian heart as a postmitotic organ, which possesses a relatively constant number of myocytes from shortly after birth to adulthood and senescence. This notion is questioned by the demonstration that although most adult myocytes are terminally differentiated, there is a small and continuously renewed subpopulation of cycling myocytes produced by the differentiation of cardiac stem-like cells. Myocyte death and myocyte regeneration are introduced as major determinants of cardiac homeostasis and alterations of ventricular anatomy and function in physiological and pathological states. The possibility of reconstituting dead myocardium by stem-like cells is advanced and proposed as a major area of future research.
Nadal-Ginard
Bernardo
B
Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA. b_nadal-ginard@nymc.edu
Kajstura
Jan
J
Leri
Annarosa
A
Anversa
Piero
P
D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016923:Cell Death; D002455:Cell Division; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000473:pathology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells