Adult cardiac stem cells are multipotent and support myocardial regeneration.
The notion of the adult heart as terminally differentiated organ without self-renewal potential has been undermined by the existence of a subpopulation of replicating myocytes in normal and pathological states. The origin and significance of these cells has remained obscure for lack of a proper biological context. We report the existence of Lin(-) c-kit(POS) cells with the properties of cardiac stem cells. They are self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent, giving rise to myocytes, smooth muscle, and endothelial cells. When injected into an ischemic heart, these cells or their clonal progeny reconstitute well-differentiated myocardium, formed by blood-carrying new vessels and myocytes with the characteristics of young cells, encompassing approximately 70% of the ventricle. Thus, the adult heart, like the brain, is mainly composed of terminally differentiated cells, but is not a terminally differentiated organ because it contains stem cells supporting its regeneration. The existence of these cells opens new opportunities for myocardial repair.
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit