Scientists Create Heart Cells Better, Fast...
alc
14 Nov 2016
"
It takes only three transcription factors—proteins that turn genes on or off in a cell—to reprogram connective tissue cells into heart muscle cells in a mouse. After a heart attack, connective tissue forms scar tissue at the site of the injury, contributing to heart failure. The three factors, Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GMT), work together to turn heart genes on in these cells and turn other genes off, effectively regenerating a damaged heart with its own cells. But the method is not foolproof—typically, only ten percent of cells fully convert from scar tissue to muscle.
"
