Horizontal gene transfer from human endothelial cells to rat cardiomyocytes after intracoronary transplantation

Abstract

When transplanted into the rat heart by efficient intracoronary delivery, EGFP-expressing HUVECs cause the exclusive but transient labelling of cardiomyocytes. Our in vivo findings suggest that it is not cell fusion and/or transdifferentiation that occurs under these conditions but rather a horizontal gene transfer of the EGFP marker via apoptotic bodies from endothelial cells to cardiomyocytes.