The rat heart contains a neural stem cell population; role in sympathetic sprouting and angiogenesis

Nestin-expressing cells were identified in the normal rat heart characterized by a small cell body and numerous processes and following an ischemic insult migrated to the infarct region. The present study was undertaken to identify the phenotype, origin and biological role of nestin-expressing cells during reparative fibrosis. A neural stem cell phenotype was identified based on musashi-1 expression, growth as a neurosphere, and differentiation to a neuronal cell. Using the Wnt1-cre; Z/EG transgenic mouse model, which expresses EGFP in embryologically-derived neural crest cells, the reporter signal was detected in nestin-expressing cells residing in the heart. In infarcted human hearts, nestin-expressing cells were detected in the viable myocardium and the scar and morphologically analogous to the population identified in the rat heart. Following either an ischemic insult or the acute administration of 6-hydroxydopamine, sympathetic sprouting was dependent on the physical association of neurofilament-M immunoreactive fibres with nestin-positive processes emanating from neural stem cells. To specifically study the biological role of the subpopulation in the infarct region, neural stem cells were isolated from the scar, fluorescently labelled and transplanted in the heart of 3-day post-MI rats. Injected scar-derived neural stem cells migrated to the infarct region and were used as a substrate for de novo blood vessel formation. These data have demonstrated that the heart contains a resident population of neural stem cells derived from the neural crest and participate in reparative fibrosis. Their manipulation could provide an alternative approach to ameliorate the healing process following ischemic injury.