Calpain regulates signal transduction contributing to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

AIM: To induce rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) into cardiomyocytes and investigate the influence of serum coming from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rat on the procedure. METHODS: The passage 3 BMSC were divided into six groups: groupⅠwas control group; groupⅡwas induced with 5-azacytidine; group Ⅲ was induced with 5-azacytidine and serum from AMI rat; group Ⅳ was induced with 5-azacytidine and serum from normal rat; group V and group Ⅵ were induced with serum from AMI rat or normal rat. The cardiac troponin T, GATA-4 and desmin were detected 30 days after induction. RESULTS: After inducing by 5-azacytidine, 5-azacytidine and two kinds of serum, some cells in the three groups differentiated into cardiac like cells. The expressions of cardiac troponin T, GATA-4 and desmin were positive in cells differentiated from BMSC. The troponin T expression in control group and group inducing by AMI serum alone were negative but GATA-4 and desmin expressed weakly. Some cells induced with 5-azacytidine and serum were slowly beating 2 weeks after induction, but the cells induced with 5-azacytidine alone was not beating.CONCLUSION: Serum from AMI can not induce BMSC to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, but it promotes BMSC differentiate into cardiomyocytes induced by 5-azacytidine and facilitate the differentiated cells to mature.