Abstract 17450: Lineage Contribution of Adult c-Kit+ Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Embryonic and Neonatal Development

Introduction: Multipotent c-Kit+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) are able to differentiate into three cardiac lineages: endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and cardiomyocytes. However, adult CPC differentiation and regeneration capacity seems to be hindered by poor long-term cell retention and engraftment following adoptive transfer, perhaps due to the infarct or ischemic recipient heart, which is continuously challenged by inflammation, cardiomyocyte death, and loss of ECM. Therefore, the undesirable recipient environment presents a continuous pathological challenge for CPCs to differentiate at their full potential. Developing heart hosts highly regulated spatiotemporal coordination that allows cell lineage diversification, hence providing the most permissive environment for CPCs to engage their maximum multipotent potential. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the embryonic environment provides the optimal spatiotemporal conditions to promote CPCs commitment to their full multipotent potential. Methods:...