title: DMH1, a novel BMP small molecule inhibitor, increases cardiomyocyte progenitors and promotes cardiac differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells.
abstract: The possibility of using cell-based therapeutics to treat cardiac failure has generated significant interest since the initial introduction of stem cell-based technologies. However, the methods to quickly and robustly direct stem cell differentiation towards cardiac cell types have been limited by a reliance on recombinant growth factors to provide necessary biological cues. We report here the use of dorsomorphin homologue 1 (DMH1), a second-generation small molecule BMP inhibitor based on dorsomorphin, to efficiently induce beating cardiomyocyte formation in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and to specifically upregulate canonical transcriptional markers associated with cardiac development. DMH1 differs significantly from its predecessor by its ability to enrich for pro-cardiac progenitor cells that respond to late-stage Wnt inhibition using XAV939 and produce secondary beating cardiomyocytes. Our study demonstrates the utility of small molecules to complement existing in vitro cardiac differentiation protocols and highlights the role of transient BMP inhibition in cardiomyogenesis.
authors: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America. adaao05@gmail.com
authors: Ada
authors: A
authors: Ao
authors: Jijun
authors: J
authors: Hao
authors: Corey R
authors: CR
authors: Hopkins
authors: Charles C
authors: CC
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000187:drug effects; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011743:Pyrimidines; D051153:Wnt Proteins; C516138:dorsomorphin