Sublethal Caspase Activation Promotes Generation of Cardiomyocytes from Embryonic Stem Cells

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120176
• Publication Date: 2015-03-12T17:44:22Z
• Authors: Ivana Bulatovic; Cristian Ibarra; Cecilia Österholm; Heng Wang; Antonio Beltrán-R...; Manuel Varas-Godoy; Agneta Månsson-Br...; Per Uhlén; András Simon; Karl-Henrik Grinnemo
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Caspase 3; Science; Q; Cell Membrane; R; Apoptosis; Cell Differentiation; Caspase 9; Cell Line; Mitochondria; Mice; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; 03 medical and health sciences; Medicine; Animals; Actinin; Myocytes, Cardiac; Embryonic Stem Cells; Research Article

Generation of new cardiomyocytes is critical for cardiac repair following myocardial injury, but which kind stimuli most important cardiomyocyte regeneration still unclear. Here we explore if apoptotic stimuli, manifested through caspase activation, influences progenitor up-regulation and differentiation. Using mouse embryonic stem cells as a cellular model, show that sublethal activation caspases increases the yield while concurrently promoting proliferation differentiation c-Kit+/α-actininlow cells. A broad-spectrum inhibitor blocked these effects. In addition, reversed mRNA expression genes expressed in their precursors. Our study demonstrates caspase-activation has an role may have significant implications after injury involving exogenous or endogenous cell sources.