In tomorrow's issue of the journal Science, researchers describe a new mechanism, which communicate by heart cells to the heart beat to rules for the first time the University of Maryland. Language used by the cells a surprise is, because it employs very reactive chemicals that say for the damage they do and for basic cell functions, are not known, researchers.
The authors mechanically individual heart cells, stretched to simulate the behavior of the heart, if it fills with blood with each heartbeat. She discovered to her surprise, that the line generated a small outbreak of reactive oxygen species (ROS), also known as free radicals. While free radicals generally harmful for the cell and are the target of anti-oxidants (substances that help to stop deterioration), found the authors, that the small, controlled burst of ROS normal calcium signals activated, the contraction of the healthy heart to rules.
On the other hand, a larger, uncontrolled burst of ROS was harmful. Caused the essential calcium signaling Askew, go the uncontrolled burst of ROS in these cells, which can interfere with normal heart rhythm and trigger arrhythmias.
You define the mechanisms that included in this process, this study offers new destinations for the treatment of heart disease, the researchers concluded.
"We have a signal which otherwise invisible, exposed," said W. Jonathan Lederer, MD, PhD, co-author and Director of the University of Maryland Center for biomedical engineering and technology (bio EUROMET). 1993 Discovered Lederer and colleagues calcium "spark," the elemental calcium signals, the contraction of the heart to rules. Then spark in 2009, Lederer and Christopher MD, associate Ward, Professor, University of Maryland School of nursing and co-author of the Science paper, for the first time identified with a group of Oxford University, that calcium could activate a heart cell elongation. The molecular mechanisms behind this process and the impact the it for disease, place remained however hard to work up to the present.
Discovery of such molecular signaling is important for two reasons. First, it helps heart physiologists understand basic physiological heart operations. "We can now look at a whole heart phenomenon, but study it on a mobile phone-level and down, what is really happening in the cell each heart", says co-author Benjamin Prosser, PhD, postdoc, bio MET. "We think that we have identified a mechanism that occurs in each heart cell with each heartbeat, and which is essential for the regulation of calcium-version in the heart."
In a larger context, Prosser, says "we have discovered a mechanism that contributes to oxidative stress [in the heart]." It is clear that ROS overproduction causing oxidative stress can, the negative function of the heart effects. However, the source of this excess ROS is still discussed. After could ward "Team discoveries in particular depth studies of muscular dystrophy and other forms of heart disease be." We believe that this uncontrolled production by ROS is important, of faulty heart problem. "We want that to test the theory."
Enable the discovery of Prosser et al., was their invention and development of a new biological glue, MyoTak ™. The biological "glue" allows the researcher to attach individual heart cells resources, the mechanical properties of the cell, to learn a new technology which is now marketed researchers worldwide. Both companies have licensed the biological Glue: IonOptix (Milton, Massachusetts) and world precision instruments (Sarasota, Florida)
The science Ward paper Prosser, and Lederer is "X-ROS signaling: fast Mechano chemical signal transduction in heart," 9 September 2011.
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