Electrically Induced Calcium Handling in Cardiac Progenitor Cells

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Joshua Maxwell, Emory University; Mary Wagner, Emory University; Michael Davis, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-01-01
• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 Joshua T. Maxwell et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8917380
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Stem Cells International
• ISSN: 1687-966X
• Volume: 2016
• Start Page: 8917380
• End Page: 8917380
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was also supported by federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute HL088488 to Mary B. Wagner as well as American Heart Association Grant 11GRNT7490000 to Mary B. Wagner.
• Keywords: DIFFERENTIATION; TRANSPLANTATION; MYOCARDIAL REGENERATION; Science & Technology; ISCHEMIA; MESENCHYMAL STEM-CELLS; CARDIOMYOCYTES; HEART; Cell Biology; SURVIVAL; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; INFARCTED MYOCARDIUM; Cell & Tissue Engineering; C-KIT(+) CELLS
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

For nearly a century, the heart was viewed as a terminally differentiated organ until the discovery of a resident population of cardiac stem cells known as cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). It has been shown that the regenerative capacity of CPCs can be enhanced by ex vivo modification. Preconditioning CPCs could provide drastic improvements in cardiac structure and function; however, a systematic approach to determining a mechanistic basis for these modifications founded on the physiology of CPCs is lacking. We have identified a novel property of CPCs to respond to electrical stimulation by initiating intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. We used confocal microscopy and intracellular calcium imaging to determine the spatiotemporal properties of the Ca2+ signal and the key proteins involved in this process using pharmacological inhibition and confocal Ca2+ imaging. Our results provide valuable insights into mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic potential in stem cells and further our understanding of human CPC physiology.