Fish genes may help repair damaged hearts

If Mexican cave fish repair its heart damage, Why we can’t”.

Scientists have identified a gene behind the Mexican tetra fish’s ability to repair its damaged heart, an advance that may hold clues for future treatments in humans. Researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK found that the tetra fish living in the river of Northern Mexico have retained their ability to repair their heart tissue even after millions of years. However, the fish in one particular cave, called pachon, have lost this amazing ability. The journal cell reports, compared the genetic code of the river fish to that of the cave fish to discover what special mechanisms are required for heart repair.

The researchers found three ares of the fish genome were implicated in the fish’s ability to repair their hearts. They also compared the activity of genes in the river versus the cave fish in the period after heart injury. Two genes, Irrc 10 and caveolin were much more active in the river fish and could be key in allowing the river fish to repair their hearts. During heart attack, the heart is deprived of oxygen leading to the death of heart muscle cells and their replacement by scar tissue. This stops the heart muscle from contracting properly and reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body.

Researchers hope that by unlocking the secrets of these remarkable fish, we will one day be able to heal human hearts in much the same way. Mathilda Mommersteeg, the Assistant Professor at the University of Oxford said that a real challenge until now was comparing heart damage and repair in fish with what we see in human’s. It’s early days but we are incredibly excited about these remarkable fish and the potential to change the lives of people with damaged hearts.

M.Nasreen