Predominant fusion of bone marrow-derived cardiomyocytes.
OBJECTIVE
Here we address the capacity of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) to trans-differentiate into mature myocytes under the physiological stimulus of exercise training.


METHODS
For this purpose, we have transplanted bone marrow from mice ubiquitously expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) into host mice that have been subjected to a prolonged program of exercise.


RESULTS
In all successful bone marrow reconstitutions (greater than 80%), we observed rare but consistent events of bone marrow-derived cardiomyocytes, the frequency of which was unchanged upon exercise training. We have further determined whether these recruited myocytes are a product of trans-differentiation or fusion by the use of a genetic system that distinguishes cell fusion from trans-differentiation in a single-cell assay.


CONCLUSIONS
We concluded that both in the unchallenged mouse and in the trained specimens, fusion is the most prominent mechanism by which bone marrow-derived cells are observed in the myocyte compartment.
Andrade
Jacob
J
Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Lam
Jason T
JT
Zamora
Monica
M
Huang
Chengqun
C
Franco
Diego
D
Sevilla
Noemi
N
Gruber
Peter J
PJ
Lu
Jonathan T
JT
Ruiz-Lozano
Pilar
P
D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002459:Cell Fusion; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002469:Cell Separation; D006085:Graft Survival; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D012038:Regeneration; D018183:Transplantation Chimera
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins