Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cardiovascular Research Center have discovered what appears to be a master cardiac stem cell, capable of differentiating into the three major types of cells that make up the mammalian heart. In their report appearing in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Cell and receiving early online release, the scientists describe identifying these progenitor cells in mice, cloning single cells from embryonic stem cells, and showing that these cloned cells can differentiate into cardiac muscle, smooth muscle or endothelial cells.
"These cells offer new prospects for drug discovery and genetically based models of human disease. They also give us a new paradigm for cardiac development, in which a single multipotent cell can diversify into both muscle and endothelial lineages," says Kenneth R. Chien, MD, director of the MGH Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) and senior author of the Cell paper. "They additionally suggest a novel strategy for the regeneration of cardiac muscle, coronary arterial and pacemaker cells." Chien also leads the cardiovascular program at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, one of the study's supporters.
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