It's the primary Cilia, needed to repair the heart of damage causing myocardial infarction. Find, published by the prestigious journal Circulation, It was made by the doctors Elisa Villalobos, Alfredo Creole and Sergio Lavandero, researchers at the Center for advanced chronic diseases (ACCDiS ), in conjunction with the Group of Dr. Joseph a.. Hill of the Department of Cardiology of the Southwestern Medical Center of the University of Texas, Dallas, United States.

Cardiac fibrosis is a process that produces a greater generation and deposit of collagen in the heart. Those consequences have two faces, Since on the one hand as reparative and beneficial in the case of myocardial infarction are considered, but in turn harmful for hypertensive patients.

At the same time, the primary cilium It is a structure with form of antenna which was born on the cell surface and is projected abroad. It is considered essential in cellular communication, as from chemical messengers are emitted but also receive the external signals that regulate the cell functioning.

The study published in the journal Circulation entitled "Fibroblast primary cilia are required for cardiac fibrosis" ("The primary Cilia of fibroblast is required for the development of cardiac fibrosis") It describes the presence of these "antennas" in cardiac fibroblasts, the heart cells responsible for the production of collagen.

Also, the investigation revealed that the primary cilium contains polycystin-1, a protein essential to regulate the synthesis and secretion of collagen in the heart. "The idea was to identify new regulators of cardiac fibrosis necessary for the repair of the wound causing the disappearance of cardiomyocytes - cells responsible for the cardiac contraction- back to heart infarction", said Elisa Villalobos, who shared first authorship with Alfredo Criollo.

Alfredo Criollo holds the degrees of Doctor in Biochemistry from the University of Chile and in cell biology and Molecular of the University of Paris XI.

Creole added that "there were very little convincing studies about the presence of Cilia in the different cell types that form the heart. Our study ends by clarifying that the heart tissue contains fibroblasts that express primary Cilia".

International collaboration for the development of the science of border in Chile

This research included the participation of Elisa Villalobos, PhD in nutrition from the University of Chile and currently performs postdoctoral training in Cardiovascular science of the University of Edinburgh Central, Scotland. In both, Alfredo Criollo holds the degrees of Doctor in Biochemistry from the University of Chile and in cell biology and Molecular of the University of Paris XI. After a long period of postdoctoral training in France and United States, He returned and today is an academic at the school of Dentistry of this House of studies.

In addition seven Chilean researchers participated: Francisco Altamirano, Lorena Garcia, Guillermo Díaz Araya and Sergio Lavandero's faculties of chemistry and pharmaceutical and medicine of the University of Chile; and Diego Romero, Juan Carlos Roa and Eugenia Morselli from the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile.

This publication reaffirms ties created by the FONDAP Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS ) and the Cardiology Division, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. In fact, the two authors responsible for this work are Sergio Lavandero and Joseph a.. Hill, those who have published 35 works in conjunction.

Sergio Lavandero, Director of ACCDiS and academic faculties of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences and medicine of the U. of Chile

Women in science

Elisa Villalobos is one of the main authors of this study, those who recognize the existing difficulties of genus that occur in the scientific world. "If you're a woman, you know that there will be differences in the way. This applies in all areas of knowledge and it is clear that the science is no exception. It is public knowledge that funding for research projects are mostly awarded to researchers men, the same applies to income differences", said Villalobos.

Elisa Villalobos, PhD in nutrition from the U. of Chile currently doing postdoctoral training in Cardiovascular science of the U Center. Edinburgh.

However he also said that he has had good experiences during his career. "Although I found in the way different types of people and researchers, the work focused on what you are doing and follow your path as a researcher despite obstacles, certainly you valid as a researcher, and at that point, If you are male or female, is not important", finished the researcher.

Fibroblast isolated from mouse cardiac tissue. Green we can observe the primary cilium marked with Tubulina Acetilada. Images obtained in the laboratory of Dr. Alfredo Criollo.