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. 2003 Sep 19;114(6):763-76.
doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00687-1.

Adult cardiac stem cells are multipotent and support myocardial regeneration

Antonio P Beltrami  1 , Laura Barlucchi, Daniele Torella, Mathue Baker, Federica Limana, Stefano Chimenti, Hideko Kasahara, Marcello Rota, Ezio Musso, Konrad Urbanek, Annarosa Leri, Jan Kajstura, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Piero Anversa
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Free article

Adult cardiac stem cells are multipotent and support myocardial regeneration

Antonio P Beltrami et al. Cell. .
Free article

Abstract

The notion of the adult heart as terminally differentiated organ without self-renewal potential has been undermined by the existence of a subpopulation of replicating myocytes in normal and pathological states. The origin and significance of these cells has remained obscure for lack of a proper biological context. We report the existence of Lin(-) c-kit(POS) cells with the properties of cardiac stem cells. They are self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent, giving rise to myocytes, smooth muscle, and endothelial cells. When injected into an ischemic heart, these cells or their clonal progeny reconstitute well-differentiated myocardium, formed by blood-carrying new vessels and myocytes with the characteristics of young cells, encompassing approximately 70% of the ventricle. Thus, the adult heart, like the brain, is mainly composed of terminally differentiated cells, but is not a terminally differentiated organ because it contains stem cells supporting its regeneration. The existence of these cells opens new opportunities for myocardial repair.

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  • Hope for a broken heart?
    Leinwand LA. Leinwand LA. Cell. 2003 Sep 19;114(6):658-9. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00718-9. Cell. 2003. PMID: 14505565 Review.

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