Cardiac fibroblasts are predisposed to convert into myocyte phenotype: Specific effect of transforming growth factor. beta

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.88.3.795· OSTI ID:5016266

Eghbali, M; Tomek, R; Woods, C; Bhambi, B ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)

Cardiac fibroblasts are mainly responsible for the synthesis of major extracellular matrix proteins in the heart, including fibrillar collagen types I and III and fibronectin. In this report we show that these cells, when stimulated by transforming growth factor {beta}{sub 1} (TGF-{beta}{sub 1}), acquire certain myocyte-specific properties. Cultured cardiac fibroblasts from adult rabbit heart were treated with TGF-{beta}{sub 1}, (10-15 ng/ml) for different periods of time. Northern hybridization analysis of total RNA showed that cells treated with TGF-{beta}{sub 1} became stained with a monoclonal antibody to muscle-specific actin. After treatment of quiescent cells with TGF-{beta}{sub 1}, cell proliferation (as measured by ({sup 3}H)thymidine incorporation) was moderately increased. Cultured cardiac fibroblasts at the subconfluent stage, when exposed to TGF-{beta}{sub 1} in the presence of 10% fetal bovine serum, gave rise to a second generation of slowly growing cells that expressed muscle-specific actin filaments. The findings demonstrate that cardiac fibroblasts can be made to differentiate into cells that display many characteristics of cardiac myocytes. TGF-{beta}{sub 1} seems to be a specific inducer of such conversion.

• OSTI ID: 5016266
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States) Vol. 88:3; ISSN 0027-8424; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ACTIN
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
AZINES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
CARCINOGENS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DNA HYBRIDIZATION
ENDOTHELIUM
ESTERS
FIBROBLASTS
GROWTH FACTORS
HEART
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYBRIDIZATION
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAMMALS
MESSENGER-RNA
MITOGENS
MORPHOLOGY
NUCLEI
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PHENOTYPE
PHORBOL ESTERS
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINES
RABBITS
RADIOISOTOPES
RIBOSIDES
RNA
SOMATIC CELLS
STEM CELLS
THYMIDINE
TISSUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES