title: A mouse model for spatial and temporal expression of HGF in the heart.
abstract: In order to study the effects of Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) in the heart, two transgenic mice were developed, one carrying a bidirectional HGF-TetO-GFP responder construct and the other carrying a α-MHC-tTA transactivator construct. Crosses were carried out between heterozygotes, so that litters contained bitransgenic α-MHC-tTA/HGF-TetO-GFP+, thus expressing HGF and GFP exclusively in the heart and only in the absence of Doxycycline. Our data show that the expression of HGF was indeed restricted to the heart and that the expression was limited to the timeframe of the absence of Doxycycline. Surprisingly the expression was variable even between bitransgenic littermates. In the setting of a model of ischemia-reperfusion, the expression of HGF ameliorates cardiac functionality, enhances proliferation and diminishes the scarred area, proving that this is a good model to study the beneficial influences and functional roles of HGF in the heart.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Forensic Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. ilan.riess@unito.it
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Riess
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demaria
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fitou
authors.forename: Ombretta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boero
authors.forename: Renzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cuccovillo
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molla
authors.forename: Noeleen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Staszewsky
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latini
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crepaldi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000378:metabolism; D004285:Dogs; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006579:Heterozygote; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D023421:Models, Animal; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; C553307:HGF protein, mouse; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D003094:Collagen; D004318:Doxycycline