Early studies showing that KIT+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) could differentiate into cardiomyocytes generated excitement regarding their potential therapeutic application. Subsequent studies called their functional relevance into question, and while claims for a contribution of KIT+ CPCs to myocardial regeneration continue, two new studies confirm the doubts about their relevance to cardiomyogenesis and provide unexpected new insights.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Max Planck Society, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 1213, TP A02, B02, ECCPS), and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (ERA-Net CVD, CLARIFY) for funding research in T.B.’s laboratory.
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Maroli, G., Braun, T. The complex biology of KIT+ cells in the heart. Nat Rev Cardiol 15, 443–444 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-018-0037-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-018-0037-5
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