New source of heart stem cells discovered
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Pu and Zhou tagged the Wt-1 expressing epicardial cells with a fluorescent red protein, then allowed the cells to differentiate. The image shows a descendent cardiomyocyte (green) that carries the same red marker, and another cell that arose from different origins. (The blue stain indicates cell nuclei). Credit: Bin Zhou, MD (Children's Hospital Boston)
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston are continuing to document the heart's earliest origins. Now, they have pinpointed a new, previously unrecognized group of stem cells that give rise to cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. These stem cells, located in the surface of the heart, or epicardium, advance the hope of being able to regenerate injured heart tissue.
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