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Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Simultaneous Isolation and Culture of Atrial Myocytes, Ventricular Myocytes, and Non-Myocytes from an Adult Mouse Heart
Published on: June 14, 2020
Cellular cross-talks in the diseased and aging heart
Julian U G Wagner1, Stefanie Dimmeler2
1Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University, Theodor Stern Kai 7, Frankfurt, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Frankfurt, Germany; Faculty for Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
Abstract:
Communication between cells is an important, evolutionarily conserved mechanism which enables the coordinated function of multicellular organisms. Heterogeneity within cell populations drive a remarkable network of cellular cross-talk that allows the heart to function as an integrated unit with distinct tasks allocated to sub-specialized cells. During diseases and aging, cells acquire an overt disordered state that significantly contributes to an altered cellular cross-talk and hence drive cardiac remodeling processes and cardiovascular diseases. However, adaptive mechanisms, and phenotypic changes in subpopulations of cells (e.g. reparative macrophages or fibroblasts) can also contribute to repair and regeneration. In this article, we review the cellular cross-talks between immune cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes that control heart failure by contributing to cardiac dysfunction and aging, or by mediating repair and regeneration of the heart after injury.
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