Oxygen Burst Triggers Heart Cell Differentiation

Researchers have found that a sudden burst of oxygen, analogous to the situation occurring when an arterial blood clot is removed, activates a group of specific genes in cardiac fibroblasts that cause these cells to differentiate into myofibroblasts, cells that can grow and replace damaged heart tissue. These findings were published in the September 2, 2003, online edition of the Journal of Cell Biology.

Investigators at Ohio State University (Columbus, USA) used GeneChip technology to characterize the genomic response to perceived hyperoxia in cardiac fibroblasts. Candidate genes were identified, confirmed, and clustered. The sudden exposure to oxygen activated the oxygen-sensitive genes in cardiac fibroblasts, and the products of these genes caused the cells to differentiate into myofibroblasts.

"Myofibroblasts go to work after you cut yourself,” explained senior author Dr. Chandan Sen, associate director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute at Ohio State University. "They have muscle-like properties and try to contract and close a wound. These are robust cells. They remain at the damaged site even when all of the heart muscle cells have died. It is important to appreciate that the heart has a built-in, healing component.”




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