Researchers are reporting the identification of a protein that appears to promote heart regeneration and repair after heart injury. The study, conducted in mice, might lead to a new strategy to improve heart function following heart attack or heart disease in humans, they say.
Cardiomyocytes are the most prevalent type of cell in the heart, where they help generate the force that helps pump blood through the heart and the rest of the body. As cardiomyocytes do not regenerate, the heart has little ability to recover heart function after injury. Researchers have been searching for a way to stimulate cardiomyocyte repair, such as stem cells or transplanted cells, but current techniques have proven difficult. Now, researchers may have found a different option.
In a series of experiments, the researchers identified Reelin—a protein secreted from lymphatic cells—as a factor required for cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart growth. In studies of mouse models without Reelin, they found that cardiac regeneration and function is impaired after heart injury. They also showed that inserting the Reelin protein into the damaged hearts of mice resulted in improved cardiac repair and function. The researchers suggest that in the future, a similar strategy might produce an effective therapy for improving heart function after injury in humans. Their study, partly funded by NHLBI, appeared in Nature.