Cardiac Discovery Goes To The Dogs

Major recent advances in canine genetics, genomics and comparative medicine has resulted in an increased knowledge of canine cardiac disease and treatment. Much of which may prove advantageous in the treatment of human cardiac disease.

Many common congenital and adult onset cardiovascular diseases in the dog are familial, including myxomatous valve disease in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and dilated cardiomyopathy in the Doberman Pinscher, Great Dane and Portuguese Water Dog. Additionally, many disease loci have been mapped, which allows for efficient scanning, evaluation and subsequent breeding decisions (Parker et al.).

In one study (Linke et al.), results indicate, that the dog heart contains a stem cell component and that these canine CSCs (cardiac stem cells) are self-renewing, clonogenic and multipotent.
The study also indicates that these resident CSCs-ECCs (cardiac stem cells – early committed cells) can be activated by GFs (growth factors) after infarction to enter the damaged tissue and promote the formation of new myocardium.
The differentiation of these primitive cells (the CSCs-ECCs) into myocytes and coronary vessels repairs the damaged heart by, restoring local wall motion, improving ventricular hemodynamics, and positively interfering with pathologic ventricular remodeling. Hence potentially extremely useful in the treatment of cardiac disease.

These exciting advances in knowledge coupled with the availability of a dense canine genome map signal not only a possible radical change in canine cardiac disease treatment but also possible significant leaps in the understanding and treatment of human cardiac disease.

References
1.Linke A., Mu¨ller P., Nurzynska D., Casarsa C., Torella D., Nascimbene A., Castaldo C., Cascapera S., Bo¨hm M., Quaini M., Urbanek K., Leri A., Hintze T. H., Kajstura J. and Anversa P.
Stem cells in the dog heart are self-renewing,clonogenic, and multipotent and regenerate infarcted myocardium, improving cardiac function.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1157041&blobtype=pdf

2. Grigoropoulos F. N. (a) and Mathur A. (b)
Stem cells in cardiac repair.
(a)Cardiac Research Department, The London Chest Hospital, Bonner Road, London, UK
(b)Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Barts and The London, Charterhouse Square, London, UK
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W7F-4J90W4J-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3470d9dbfec74c6a6d661caf9486434c
3. Parker G. H., Meurs M. K. and Ostrander A. E.
Finding cardiovascular disease genes in the dog.
http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B7RN0-4M340NH-2&_user=331728&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000016898&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=331728&md5=77210f2fa2717681a5e282d33d0a40f9