EMBL researchers find role for Notch pathway in heart attacks

Research lead

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, have provided proof that the Notch signalling pathway targets heart muscle cells and thus has a crucial role in heart development and repair.

Notch is a molecular pathway through which cells communicate with each other. Scientists at EMBL found that when they inactivated Notch specifically in the heart muscle precursor cells of early mouse embryos, the mice developed heart defects. Curiously, increasing Notch signalling in the heart muscle cells of older embryos had the same detrimental effect, uncovering different requirements for Notch as development proceeds.

The scientists were able to improve the cardiac function and survival rate of adult mice that had suffered heart attacks by re-activating Notch, suggesting new therapeutic approaches to help the heart recover from damage.

“Overall, these results highlight the importance of timing and context in biological communication mechanisms,” said one of the researchers, Nadia Rosenthal. “Our findings also lend support to the notion that, in certain situations, redeployment of embryonic signalling pathways could prove beneficial for tissue regeneration in the adult.”