Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation, Volume 12, Issue 1, 1 1 2004, Pages 13-17 Genetic programme of cardiogenesis: implications for therapeutic application. van Tuyn J, de Vries AA, van der Laarse A, Schalij MJ, van der Wall EE, Atsma DE
It has become accepted that new cardiomyocytes can be derived from stem cells. Although the potential for therapeutic application is evident, the reported efficiency of differentiation varies greatly from 0.02 to 54%. To obtain clinically relevant numbers of newly differentiated cardiac cells, stem cell differentiation should be as efficient as possible. A plausible way to increase the efficiency of differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes is through the introduction of cardiac specific regulatory genes in the stem cells. This review summarises the role of several key transcription factors in cardiogenesis.
