Cardiovascular Research Advance Access first published online on July 30, 2009
This version [Corrected Proof] published online on August 21, 2009
Cardiovascular Research, doi:10.1093/cvr/cvp267
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes derived from white mature adipocytes
1 Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Ave, RM BH-307 CHS, PO Box 951679, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1679, USA
2 Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
* Corresponding author. Tel: +1 310 794 4417, Fax: +1 310 206 8553, Email: kbostrom{at}mednet.ucla.edu
Aims: Adipose stromal cells and dissociated brown adipose tissue have been shown to generate cardiomyocyte-like cells. However, it is not clear whether white mature adipocytes have the same potential, even though a close relationship has been found between adipocytes and vascular endothelial cells, another cardiovascular cell type. The objective of this study was to examine if white adipocytes would be able to supply cardiomyocytes.
Methods and results: We prepared a highly purified population of lipid-filled adipocytes from mice, 6–7 weeks of age. When allowed to lose lipids, the adipocytes assumed a fibroblast-like morphology, so-called dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. Subsequently, 10–15% of the DFAT cells spontaneously differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells, in which the cardiomyocyte phenotype was identified by morphological observations, expression of cardiomyocyte-specific markers, and immunocytochemical staining. In addition, electrophysiological studies revealed pacemaker activity in these cells, and functional studies showed that a β-adrenergic agonist stimulated the beating rate, whereas a β-antagonist reduced it. In vitro treatment of newly isolated adipocytes or DFAT cells with inhibitors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and Wnt signalling promoted the development of the cardiomyocyte phenotype as determined by the number or beating colonies of cardiomyocyte-like cells and expression of troponin I, a cardiomyocyte-specific marker. Inhibition of BMP was most effective in promoting the cardiomyocyte phenotype in adipocytes, whereas Wnt-inhibition was most effective in DFAT cells.
Conclusion: White mature adipocytes can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells, suggesting a link between adipocyte and cardiomyocyte differentiation.
KEYWORDS Adipocyte; Cardiomyocyte; Cardiomyocyte differentiation; Dedifferentiated adipocytes
Time for primary review: 29 days