Is HMGB1 the only cytokine with cardiac stem cell (CSC)-activating or regenerative powers?
Are there others? MCC: There are definitely other cytokines that are already known to modulate cardiac stem cell function. Several groups have explored the role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in mobilizing cardiac stem cells [345 ]. Recently, Mark Sussman and his colleagues [6 , 7 ] have explored the Akt-mediated signaling pathway vis à vis cardiac stem cell proliferation. There are certainly other factors remaining to be discovered. Interestingly, the mechanism by which HMGB1 works is not yet clear. Our current working hypothesis is that it functions by interfering with pro-apoptotic pathways. In this work, you feature primarily mouse CSCs. Have human CSCs been characterized? How similar are mouse and human CSCs? Are mice the best animal model for studying CSC biology? MCC: Human CSCs can be obtained fairly readily from cardiac surgery specimens, and they have been characterized to a very limited extent. They grow slowly, and it is not clear
