Hidden Population of Regenerative Heart Cells Discovered

Two research teams from the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) have developed a new technique that, for the first time, enables detailed analysis of the proteome—the complete set of proteins—within individual heart muscle cells. The study, published in the journal Genome Biology, revealed that the key regulatory factor Myc affects individual cardiomyocytes in different ways and may trigger the emergence of a specialized subgroup of cells with regenerative potential.

Cardiomyocytes are the cells responsible for the heart’s contractions. Although they perform the same fundamental function, recent research has shown that even cells of the same type can differ substantially in their biological state and role. Understanding this cellular heterogeneity has become a major focus of modern biomedical science.

Researchers at CNIC, working together with colleagues from the Karolinska Institute, developed a technology that combines advanced cell isolation methods, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and new computational algorithms. This approach allowed scientists to characterize the full protein profile of individual cardiomyocytes for the first time.

The study focused on Myc, a transcription factor previously identified as a promising target for regenerative therapies following heart attacks. However, its precise effects at the level of individual cells had remained unclear.

The new findings show that activation of Myc does not affect all cardiomyocytes equally. Instead, it produces diverse changes in metabolic enzyme levels, creating a spectrum of cellular states ranging from more mature cells to functionally “rejuvenated” ones.

According to the researchers, this variability gives rise to a distinct subgroup of cardiomyocytes that display characteristics associated with regenerative potential. In other words, these cells acquire properties that may enable them to contribute to the repair of damaged heart tissue.

Study leaders Miguel Torres and Jesús Vázquez said the results provide a deeper understanding of how Myc functions and open new possibilities for developing therapies aimed at restoring heart tissue after injury.

Previous work by Torres and colleagues had already demonstrated that Myc activation can promote heart repair following a myocardial infarction in adult mammals. Until now, however, researchers did not understand why the regenerative effect appeared uneven across cells or which mechanisms were responsible for it.

The authors emphasize that the newly developed single-cell proteomics technology could become an important tool not only in cardiology but also in other fields of medicine where differences between seemingly identical cells play a crucial role. Potential applications range from cancer research to the study of neurodegenerative diseases.

The discovery highlights the growing recognition that understanding cellular diversity may be key to developing more precise regenerative and personalized therapies in the future.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter