Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39540462›Full record

ArticleAging cell2025

Age-associated metabolic and epigenetic barriers during direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes.

Francisco Santos, Magda Correia, Rafaela Dias, Bárbara Bola, Roberta Noberini, Rita S Ferreira, Diogo Trigo, Pedro Domingues, José Teixeira, Tiziana Bonaldi and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Aging cell, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Advances in fibroblast-based cardiac reprogramming in the treatment of heart disease.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Francisco SantosDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Magda CorreiaDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Rafaela DiasDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Bárbara BolaDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Roberta NoberiniDepartment of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Rita S FerreiraDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Diogo TrigoDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Pedro DominguesMass Spectrometry Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
José TeixeiraCNC-UC, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Tiziana BonaldiDepartment of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Paulo J OliveiraCNC-UC, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Christian BärInstitute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany.
Bruno Bernardes de JesusDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-6407-3466
Sandrina Nóbrega-PereiraDepartment of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-9652-1382

Funding

STUDIES IN MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICSZ01CT000024 · CIT · COMPUTER RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY · PI WEISS, GEORGE H · 1985 to 2008
$408k
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 01KL1903Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung ERA-CVD JTC2018 INNOVATIONFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia 2020.00355.CEECINDFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia 2020.01560.CEECINDFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia 2022.01199.PTDCFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia EXPL/BIA-CEL/0358/2021Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia SFRH/BD/146204/2019Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UI/BD/151373/2021Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UIDB/04501/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UIDP/04501/2020Horizon 2020 Framework Programme EPIC-XS 823839Intramural NIH HHS Z01 CT000024
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in developed countries, and novel regenerative procedures are warranted. Direct cardiac conversion (DCC) of adult fibroblasts can create induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) for gene and cell-based heart therapy, and in addition to holding great promise, still lacks effectiveness as metabolic and age-associated barriers remain elusive. Here, by employing MGT (Mef2c, Gata4, Tbx5) transduction of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and adult (dermal and cardiac) fibroblasts from animals of different ages, we provide evidence that the direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into iCMs decreases with age. Analyses of histone posttranslational modifications and ChIP-qPCR revealed age-dependent alterations in the epigenetic landscape of DCC. Moreover, DCC is accompanied by profound mitochondrial metabolic adaptations, including a lower abundance of anabolic metabolites, network remodeling, and reliance on mitochondrial respiration. In vitro metabolic modulation and dietary manipulation in vivo improve DCC efficiency and are accompanied by significant alterations in histone marks and mitochondrial homeostasis. Importantly, adult-derived iCMs exhibit increased accumulation of oxidative stress in the mitochondria and activation of mitophagy or dietary lipids; they improve DCC and revert mitochondrial oxidative damage. Our study provides evidence that metaboloepigenetics plays a direct role in cell fate transitions driving DCC, highlighting the potential use of metabolic modulation to improve cardiac regenerative strategies.

Indexed as

AgingCellular ReprogrammingEpigenesis, GeneticFibroblastsMyocytes, CardiacAnimalsMiceagingcardiomyocytesdirect reprogrammingepigeneticfibroblastsmetabolismmitochondriaregenerative biology

Identifiers

PMID39540462
PMCPMC11822649

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.