title: Adult cardiac Sca-1-positive cells differentiate into beating cardiomyocytes.
abstract: Although somatic stem cells have been reported to exist in various adult organs, there have been few reports concerning stem cells in the heart. We here demonstrate that Sca-1-positive (Sca-1+) cells in adult hearts have some of the features of stem cells. Sca-1+ cells were isolated from adult murine hearts by a magnetic cell sorting system and cultured on gelatin-coated dishes. A fraction of Sca-1+ cells stuck to the culture dish and proliferated slowly. When treated with oxytocin, Sca-1+ cells expressed genes of cardiac transcription factors and contractile proteins and showed sarcomeric structure and spontaneous beating. Isoproterenol treatment increased the beating rate, which was accompanied by the intracellular Ca(2+) transients. The cardiac Sca-1+ cells expressed oxytocin receptor mRNA, and the expression was up-regulated after oxytocin treatment. Some of the Sca-1+ cells expressed alkaline phosphatase after osteogenic induction and were stained with Oil-Red O after adipogenic induction. These results suggest that Sca-1+ cells in the adult murine heart have potential as stem cells and may contribute to the regeneration of injured hearts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishigaki
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Junichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Haruhiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toko
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akazawa
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Haruaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakaya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kasanuki
authors.forename: Issei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Komuro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017931:DNA Primers; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D017931:DNA Primers; C074650:Ly6a protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; D014157:Transcription Factors; D010121:Oxytocin