Functional cloning of a heart specific transcription factor activating the desmin gene during cardiogenesis

To fight cardiomyopathies related death in the population we must understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for development and longevity of the myocardium. Here we investigated the influence of the leukemia inhibitory factor and a still unknown, extra-embryonic endoderm derived factor on proliferation and differentiation of cardiomyocytes. In parallel, we developed methods to introduce point-mutations into embryonic stem cells without any residual transgenic sequence. Mutations in the desmin gene are often associated with congenital cardiomyopathies, thus it was mutated to assess the influence of desmin on cardiomyogenesis. By these means we can effectively culture, differentiate and genetically manipulate embryonic stem cells, providing the way for a future, embryonic stem cells based cell-therapy of the human myocardium.