Electrically Induced Calcium Handling in Cardiac Progenitor Cells.
For nearly a century, the heart was viewed as a terminally differentiated organ until the discovery of a resident population of cardiac stem cells known as cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). It has been shown that the regenerative capacity of CPCs can be enhanced byex vivomodification. Preconditioning CPCs could provide drastic improvements in cardiac structure and function; however, a systematic approach to determining a mechanistic basis for these modifications founded on the physiology of CPCs is lacking. We have identified a novel property of CPCs to respond to electrical stimulation by initiating intracellular Ca2+oscillations. We used confocal microscopy and intracellular calcium imaging to determine the spatiotemporal properties of the Ca2+signal and the key proteins involved in this process using pharmacological inhibition and confocal Ca2+imaging. Our results provide valuable insights into mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic potential in stem cells and further our understanding of human CPC physiology.
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Children's Heart Research and Outcomes (HeRO) Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Joshua T
0000-0001-7389-5245
JT
Maxwell
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Children's Heart Research and Outcomes (HeRO) Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Mary B
MB
Wagner
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Children's Heart Research and Outcomes (HeRO) Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Michael E
0000-0002-9239-2886
ME
Davis