Connective tissue cells in the heart turn into bone-producing cells in response to injury, researchers have found. The discovery helps explain why some people who survive heart damage develop abnormal calcium deposits--the main component of bone--in the valves or walls of the heart. The researchers also show that heart calcification can be prevented in mice by blocking an enzyme that regulates bone mineralization with small molecules.
Connective tissue cells in the heart turn into bone-producing cells in response to injury, researchers have found. The discovery helps explain why some people who survive heart damage develop abnormal calcium deposits--the main component of bone--in the valves or walls of the heart. The researchers also show that heart calcification can be prevented in mice by blocking an enzyme that regulates bone mineralization with small molecules.
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