A designed zinc-finger transcriptional repressor of phospholamban improves function of the failing heart.

Selective inhibition of disease-related proteins underpins the majority of successful drug-target interactions. However, development of effective antagonists is often hampered by targets that are not druggable using conventional approaches. Here, we apply engineered zinc-finger protein transcription factors (ZFP TFs) to the endogenous phospholamban (PLN) gene, which encodes a well validated but recalcitrant drug target in heart failure.

Stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha plays a critical role in stem cell recruitment to the heart after myocardial infarction but is not sufficient to induce homing in the absence of injury.

Background: After myocardial infarction (MI), bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) are found within the myocardium. The mechanisms determining BMDC recruitment to the heart remain unclear. We investigated the role of stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1) in this process.