The study of how the body develops has a lot of impact on finding treatments and understanding how the body works. Research is being made in such organs like the heart as heart disease is one of the deadliest diseases today. Researchers have found a link on the heart and blood cells early in their development.
There is new research being conducted at the University of Minnesota about the heart and blood cells development, according to Science Today. The study involves endoglin, a receptor known for its role in blood vessels and angiogenesis. Researchers have recently found that endoglin is also a factor in early cells developing into blood cells.
The study has been made to show what role endoglin plays in the development of both the heart and blood cells. By favoring the development of blood cells early on it might come at the expense of the heart.
June Baik is the lead author of the study. In her study, she has manipulated the levels of endoglin in mouse stem cells and primary heart cells in zebrafish and mice, as Eureka Alert stated. After that the study went on to look at molecular regulation and its role in the process. It has found that JDP2 is an important downstream mediator that has an effect when endoglin signals are disturbed.
With the study's findings it could be used in research on congenital heart defects and the role endoglin plays in it. Blood and heart formation is critical in such cases, as the blood and heart systems are the first that are developed in mammals, as Rita Perlingeiro, Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School's Cardiovascular Division, said. She also added that if one type of cell is favored, another type might not develop as much.
Dr. Daniel Garry, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota said that the study could be used later in developing heart tissue for congenital diseases as well as heart diseases in adults.
A new study has also looked into how repair proteins are important to DNA damage.
