New Cell Type Discovered That Shapes Heart Blood Vessel Growth
- "Maybe in the future we can use SCX to reactivate human epicardial cells and steer them toward generating the cells and signals that promote human heart regeneration," said...
- Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered a previously uncharacterized cell type in the heart that helps regulate blood vessel growth and stabilizes the vascular network supplying oxygen...
- During zebrafish research, investigators identified that these novel perivascular cells surround coronary blood vessels and express a specific type of collagen that manages vascular development.
“Maybe in the future we can use SCX to reactivate human epicardial cells and steer them toward generating the cells and signals that promote human heart regeneration,” said Dr. Jingli Cao of Weill Cornell Medicine.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered a previously uncharacterized cell type in the heart that helps regulate blood vessel growth and stabilizes the vascular network supplying oxygen to cardiac muscle, according to a study published on August 20 in Nature Communications.
Zebrafish Reveal Novel Perivascular Cells
During zebrafish research, investigators identified that these novel perivascular cells surround coronary blood vessels and express a specific type of collagen that manages vascular development.
Scxa Gene Directs Heart Cells to Repair Damage
Lead researcher Dr. Jingli Cao and his team examined how precursor cells within the epicardium—the thin layer surrounding the heart—specialize during injury. By cataloging genes activated during cardiac damage, the lab identified a master regulator gene called scxa that directs progenitor cells to form the new perivascular cell type.
The research team also discovered how the body activates this vascular-support program. When areas of the heart experience low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, the environment acts as a temporary cue that activates scxa, directing a subset of epicardial progenitors toward a perivascular fate.
Divergent Pathways in Human Biology
While humans possess a related gene named SCX, scientists do not yet know if human epicardial cells utilize it in the exact same manner as zebrafish. Following injuries like a heart attack in mammals, SCX typically activates in cardiac fibroblasts that promote scar tissue formation rather than regeneration.
Bridging the Gap to Organoid Research
To bridge this gap, Dr. Cao is currently working with cultured human epicardial cells and cardiac organoids. The goal is to determine whether human cells can be steered toward generating the signals and cells necessary to promote heart repair.
Maybe in the future we can use SCX to reactivate human epicardial cells and steer them toward generating the cells and signals that promote human heart regeneration.