Innate Mechanisms of Heart Regeneration.
Hui-Min YinCharles Geoffrey BurnsCaroline E BurnsPublished in: Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology (2021)
Heart regeneration is a remarkable process whereby regrowth of damaged cardiac tissue rehabilitates organ anatomy and function. Unfortunately, the human heart is highly resistant to regeneration, which creates a shortage of cardiomyocytes in the wake of ischemic injury, and explains, in part, why coronary artery disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Luckily, a detailed blueprint for achieving therapeutic heart regeneration already exists in nature because several lower vertebrate species successfully regenerate amputated or damaged heart muscle through robust cardiomyocyte proliferation. A growing number of species are being interrogated for cardiac regenerative potential, and several commonalities have emerged between those animals showing high or low innate capabilities. In this review, we provide a historical perspective on the field, discuss how regenerative potential is influenced by cardiomyocyte properties, mitogenic signals, and chromatin accessibility, and highlight unanswered questions under active investigation. Ultimately, delineating why heart regeneration occurs preferentially in some organisms, but not in others, will uncover novel therapeutic inroads for achieving cardiac restoration in humans.
Keyphrases
- stem cells
- heart failure
- coronary artery disease
- immune response
- atrial fibrillation
- mesenchymal stem cells
- left ventricular
- endothelial cells
- cell therapy
- angiotensin ii
- wound healing
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- cardiovascular disease
- oxidative stress
- genome wide
- transcription factor
- skeletal muscle
- ejection fraction
- aortic stenosis
- bone marrow