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Updated: May 5, 2026
Isolation, Characterization, and Differentiation of Cardiac Stem Cells from the Adult Mouse Heart
Published on: January 7, 2019
Human C-kit+CD45- cardiac stem cells are heterogeneous and display both cardiac and endothelial commitment by
Joakim Sandstedt1, Marianne Jonsson1, Göran Dellgren2
1Department of Clinical Chemistry and Transfusion Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Insights
Human cardiac C-kit+CD45- cells, primarily in the right atrium, show mostly endothelial commitment. A small subset, however, expresses cardiac genes, suggesting potential cardiac stem cell activity.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Stem Cell Research
- Cardiac Regeneration
Background:
- C-kit expressing cardiac stem cells are considered multipotent.
- Previous studies identified human cardiac C-kit+CD45- cells with endothelial commitment.
- A potential minor subpopulation of cardiac-committed cells within this population warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for cardiac commitment in human cardiac C-kit+CD45- cells at the single-cell level.
- To determine the predominant cell type and localization of the C-kit+CD45- population in human atria.
Main Methods:
- Dissociation of right and left atrial biopsies.
- Flow cytometry analysis (FACS) to identify C-kit+CD45- cells.
- Single-cell sorting and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for gene expression analysis.
Main Results:
- C-kit+CD45- cells were predominantly found in right atrial biopsies.
- Most C-kit+CD45- cells (81%) expressed the endothelial gene VWF.
- A small fraction (1.1%) expressed the early cardiac gene NKX2.5, while other subsets expressed late cardiac (TNNT2, ACTC1) or endothelial genes (FLK-1, CD31).
Conclusions:
- Human cardiac C-kit+CD45- cells are mainly located in the right atrium.
- The majority of these cells exhibit endothelial markers.
- A minor population within the C-kit+CD45- cells expresses cardiac-specific genes, indicating potential for cardiac differentiation.
Abstract:
C-kit expressing cardiac stem cells have been described as multipotent. We have previously identified human cardiac C-kit+CD45- cells, but only found evidence of endothelial commitment. A small cardiac committed subpopulation within the C-kit+CD45- population might however be present. To investigate this at single-cell level, right and left atrial biopsies were dissociated and analyzed by FACS. Only right atrial biopsies contained a clearly distinguishable C-kit+CD45- population, which was single-cell sorted for qPCR. A minor portion of the sorted cells (1.1%) expressed early cardiac gene NKX2.5 while most of the cells (81%) expressed late endothelial gene VWF. VWF- cells were analyzed for a wider panel of genes. One group of these cells expressed endothelial genes (FLK-1, CD31) while another group expressed late cardiac genes (TNNT2, ACTC1). In conclusion, human C-kit+CD45- cells were predominantly localized to the right atrium. While most of these cells expressed endothelial genes, a minor portion expressed cardiac genes.
