Cardiac regeneration: epicardial mediated repair.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-22-2015
JAX Source
Proc Biol Sci 2015 Dec 22; 282(1821):20152147.
Volume
282
Issue
1821
ISSN
1471-2954
PMID
26702046
Abstract
The hearts of lower vertebrates such as fish and salamanders display scarless regeneration following injury, although this feature is lost in adult mammals. The remarkable capacity of the neonatal mammalian heart to regenerate suggests that the underlying machinery required for the regenerative process is evolutionarily retained. Recent studies highlight the epicardial covering of the heart as an important source of the signalling factors required for the repair process. The developing epicardium is also a major source of cardiac fibroblasts, smooth muscle, endothelial cells and stem cells. Here, we examine animal models that are capable of scarless regeneration, the role of the epicardium as a source of cells, signalling mechanisms implicated in the regenerative process and how these mechanisms influence cardiomyocyte proliferation. We also discuss recent advances in cardiac stem cell research and potential therapeutic targets arising from these studies. Proc Biol Sci 2015 Dec 22; 282(1821):20152147.
Recommended Citation
Kennedy-Lydon T,
Rosenthal N.
Cardiac regeneration: epicardial mediated repair. Proc Biol Sci 2015 Dec 22; 282(1821):20152147.