title: Monophasic and biphasic electrical stimulation induces a precardiac differentiation in progenitor cells isolated from human heart.
abstract: Electrical stimulation (ES) of cells has been shown to induce a variety of responses, such as cytoskeleton rearrangements, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. In this study, we have investigated whether monophasic and biphasic pulsed ES could exert any effect on the proliferation and differentiation of human cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) isolated from human heart fragments. Cells were cultured under continuous exposure to monophasic or biphasic ES with fixed cycles for 1 or 3 days. Results indicate that neither stimulation protocol affected cell viability, while the cell shape became more elongated and reoriented more perpendicular to the electric field direction. Moreover, the biphasic ES clearly induced the upregulation of early cardiac transcription factors, MEF2D, GATA-4, and Nkx2.5, as well as the de novo expression of the late cardiac sarcomeric proteins, troponin T, cardiac alpha actinin, and SERCA 2a. Both treatments increased the expression of connexin 43 and its relocation to the cell membrane, but biphasic ES was faster and more effective. Finally, when hCPCs were exposed to both monophasic and biphasic ES, they expressed de novo the mRNA of the voltage-dependent calcium channel Cav 3.1(α1G) subunit, which is peculiar of the developing heart. Taken together, these results show that ES alone is able to set the conditions for early differentiation of adult hCPCs toward a cardiac phenotype.
authors: 1 Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro ," Novara, Italy .
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Pietronave
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Zamperone
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Oltolina
authors: Donato
authors: D
authors: Colangelo
authors: Antonia
authors: A
authors: Follenzi
authors: Eugenio
authors: E
authors: Novelli
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Diena
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Pavesi
authors: Filippo
authors: F
authors: Consolo
authors: Gianfranco Beniamino
authors: GB
authors: Fiore
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Soncini
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Prat
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048430:Cell Shape; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D015870:Gene Expression; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers