BACKGROUND Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan located in the interstitial space which is essential for both structural and cell regulatory functions in connective tissue. We have previously shown that HA synthesis is up-regulated in a rat model of experimental cardiac hypertrophy and that cardiac tissue utilizes two different HA synthases in the hypertrophic process. Cardiomyocytes and fibr...

BACKGROUND Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer a new paradigm for modeling genetic cardiac diseases, but it is unclear whether mouse and human PSCs can truly model both gain- and loss-of-function genetic disorders affecting the Na(+) current (I(Na)) because of the immaturity of the PSC-derived cardiomyocytes. To address this issue, we generated multiple PSC lines containing a Na(+) channel muta...

Increased contraction enhances substrate uptake into cardiomyocytes via translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 and the long chain fatty acid (LCFA) transporter CD36 from intracellular stores to the sarcolemma. Additionally, contraction activates the signaling enzymes AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and protein kinase D1 (PKD1). Although AMPK has been implicated in contraction-induce...

Various types of stem cells have been shown to have beneficial effects on cardiac function. It is still debated whether fusion of injected stem cells with local resident cardiomyocytes is one of the mechanisms. To better understand the role of fusion in stem cell-based myocardial regeneration, the present study was designed to investigate the fate of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hAS...

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes (iCell Cardiomyocytes) with ion channel activities that are remarkably similar to adult cardiomyocytes. Here, we extend this characterization to cardiac ion transporters. Additionally, we document facile molecular biological manipulation of iCell Cardiomyocytes to overexpress and knockdown transporter...

AIM Melatonin supplementation reduces insulin resistance and protects the heart in obese rats. However, its role in myocardial glucose uptake remains unknown. This study investigated the effect of short-term melatonin treatment on glucose uptake by cardiomyocytes isolated from obese and insulin-resistant rats. METHODS Cardiomyocytes were isolated from obese rats fed a high-calorie diet for 16...

BACKGROUND Further to promoting angiogenesis, cell therapy may be an approach for cardiac regeneration. Recent studies suggest that progenitor cells can transdifferentiate into other lineages. However, the transdifferentiation potential of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS EPCs were obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy adults or coronar...

Insulin resistance is the failure of insulin to stimulate the transport of glucose into its target cells. A highly regulatable supply of glucose is important for cardiomyocytes to cope with situations of metabolic stress. We recently observed that isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes become insulin resistant in vitro. Insulin resistance is combated at the whole body level with agonists of the nucl...

BACKGROUND It has long been thought that mammalian cardiomyocytes are terminally-differentiated and unable to proliferate. However, myocytes in more primitive animals such as zebrafish are able to dedifferentiate and proliferate to regenerate amputated cardiac muscle. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we test the hypothesis that mature mammalian cardiomyocytes retain substantial cellular pl...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Due to limited regenerative capacity adult heart, treatments based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have become focus a great deal research. Human cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) can provide an ideal cell source for CVD model construction, cardiac tissue repair, and drug cardiotoxicology However, immaturity hPSC...