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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Published on: October 7, 2016

The temporal and spatial expression patterns of ABCG2 in the developing human heart.

Marah Alfakir¹, Nicholas Dawe, Rachel Eyre

¹Institute of Cellular Medicine, 3rd Floor William Leech Building, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

International Journal of Cardiology

|November 30, 2010

Summary

The developing human heart contains distinct cardiac stem cell populations. ABCG2-positive cells are readily isolatable, offering a promising source for cardiac stem cell therapies.

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Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Developmental Biology
Stem Cell Research

Background:

The adult heart contains stem/progenitor cells, with implications for cardiac therapeutics.
Understanding cardiac stem cells is crucial for normal and abnormal cardiac development.
Little is known about these cell populations in the developing human heart.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate cardiac stem/progenitor cell populations in the developing human heart.
To characterize ABCG2 and Islet-1 expressing cells within the human embryonic heart.
To identify potential markers for isolating cardiac stem cells.

Main Methods:

Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and western blotting were used to detect ABCG2 and Islet-1.
Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was employed to isolate cardiac side population (SP) cells.
Co-localization immunohistochemistry identified marker expression in ABCG2-positive cells.

Main Results:

ABCG2 and Islet-1 expressing cells exhibited distinct temporal and spatial expression patterns.
Rare cells co-expressed ABCG2 with lineage markers (CD31, CD34, alpha-actinin) or expressed ABCG2 alone.
Cardiac SP cells were successfully isolated and their phenotype confirmed.

Conclusions:

The developing human heart harbors at least two distinct cardiac stem/progenitor cell populations.
ABCG2-positive cells represent a readily isolatable cardiac stem cell population.
This research suggests the developing human heart as a valuable source for cardiac stem cells.