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New research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) published in Cell reports suggests that a gene called lrrc10 can hold the key to the remarkable ability of this fish.
About 1.5 million years ago, tetra fish (Astyanax Mexicanus) living in the rivers of northern Mexico were periodically dragged into caves by seasonal floodwaters. Over time, floods became less frequent and eventually stopped. This created the ideal environment for different members of the same species to adapt and evolve according to their different habitats – the river and the caves.
To date, surface fish still living in the rivers of Mexico have retained their ability to repair their heart tissues. However, the fish in a particular cave, called Pachón, has lost this amazing ability. They also lost their color and ability to see, no trait giving them any benefit in the perpetual darkness of their new home.
Dr. Mathilda Mommersteeg and her team at Oxford University have compared the genetic code of river fish with that of blind cave fish to determine the special mechanisms needed to repair the heart. They discovered that three regions of the fish genome were involved in the fish's ability to repair their heart.
The researchers also compared the gene activity in the river compared to cave fish in the period following a heart injury. Two genes, lrrc10 and caveolin, were much more active in river fish and could be the key to allowing river fish to repair their hearts.
Lrrc10 is already linked to a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in humans. Studies in mice have already shown that this gene is involved in the contraction of heart cells at each heartbeat.
The researchers then studied the effect of this gene on zebrafish, another fish that has the remarkable ability to heal one's own heart. When the team turned off the lrrc10 gene in zebrafish, they saw that the fish could no longer completely repair their heart.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK live with debilitating heart failure, often as a result of a heart attack. During a heart attack, the heart is deprived of oxygen, resulting in the death of heart muscle cells and their replacement by scar tissue. This prevents the heart muscle from contracting properly and reduces the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body.
People with heart failure can not regenerate their damaged hearts and often the only cure is a heart transplant. The researchers hope that by discovering the secrets of these remarkable fish, we will one day heal hearts in the same way.
Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "These remarkable discoveries show how much more needs to be learned from the rich tapestry of the natural world, and it is particularly interesting that river fish can regenerate heart can result from an ability to suppress scarring.We must now determine if we can exploit similar mechanisms to repair damaged hearts.
"Survival rates for heart failure have barely changed over the past 20 years and life expectancy is worse than for many cancers." Progress is desperately needed to mitigate the damage caused by this disease. terrible disease. "
Dr. Mathilda Mommersteeg, associate professor of developmental medicine and regenerator at Oxford University, who led the research, said: "Up to now, the real challenge was to compare heart damage and the repair of fish to those we observe in humans, fish and cave fish side by side, we were able to distinguish the genes responsible for cardiac regeneration.
"Heart failure is a cruel and debilitating disease that more than half a million Britons live in. We are still in the early stages, but we are extremely excited about these remarkable fish and the potential to change the world." the lives of people whose hearts are damaged. "
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