Research Briefing |
Featured
-
-
News |
Gut bacteria break down cholesterol — hinting at probiotic treatments
Species in the human microbiome have enzymes that can metabolize a potentially dangerous lipid.
- Julian Nowogrodzki
-
Nature Podcast |
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
Data suggest menopause evolved to enable older female whales to help younger generations survive, and how researchers made a cellular map of the developing human heart.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
-
News |
‘Epigenetic’ editing cuts cholesterol in mice
Changes to chemical tags on DNA in mice dial down the activity of a gene without cuts to the genome.
- Heidi Ledford
-
News |
Crackdown on skin-colour bias by fingertip oxygen sensors is coming, hints FDA
Devices can overestimate blood oxygen levels in people with dark skin, affecting medical care.
- Max Kozlov
-
News |
First trial of ‘base editing’ in humans lowers cholesterol — but raises safety concerns
Super-precise gene-editing approach switches off a gene in the liver that regulates ‘bad’ cholesterol.
- Miryam Naddaf
-
News |
What causes fainting? Scientists finally have an answer
Mouse experiments reveal the brain–heart connections that cause us to lose consciousness rapidly — and wake up moments later.
- Miryam Naddaf
-
Article
| Open Access
Vagal sensory neurons mediate the Bezold–Jarisch reflex and induce syncope
The molecular mechanisms underlying the Bezold–Jarisch reflex and syncope (fainting) involve vagal sensory neurons that express neuropeptide Y receptor Y2, the deletion of which in animal models abolishes the Bezold–Jarisch reflex.
- Jonathan W. Lovelace
- , Jingrui Ma
- & Vineet Augustine
-
Article
| Open Access
Structure of the native myosin filament in the relaxed cardiac sarcomere
A cryo-electron tomography study reports the structure of thick myosin filaments of mouse cardiac muscle in the relaxed state in situ and the MyBP-C links that connect them with the surrounding thin actin filaments.
- Davide Tamborrini
- , Zhexin Wang
- & Stefan Raunser
-
News Explainer |
Is CRISPR safe? Genome editing gets its first FDA scrutiny
Advisers to the US regulatory agency will examine the safety profile of a CRISPR-based treatment for sickle-cell disease.
- Heidi Ledford
-
News & Views |
Coordinating the first heartbeat
An impressive combination of computational modelling and experimental techniques in live zebrafish embryos reveals how the heart initiates its organized and rhythmic beating.
- Joshua Bloomekatz
- & Neil C. Chi
-
Article |
A bioelectrical phase transition patterns the first vertebrate heartbeats
The first heartbeat of a zebrafish was captured, and development of cardiac excitability and conduction around this singular event were analysed, showing how development of single-cell properties produces a transition from quiescence to coordinated beating.
- Bill Z. Jia
- , Yitong Qi
- & Adam E. Cohen
-
Article
| Open Access
Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation enables heart regeneration in adult mice
Inhibition of the fatty acid oxidation metabolic pathway through inactivation of Cpt1b enhances cardiomyocyte survival and proliferation and allows heart regeneration in adult mice.
- Xiang Li
- , Fan Wu
- & Thomas Braun
-
News Explainer |
Anti-obesity drug also protects against heart disease — what happens next?
Clinical-trial data suggest that semaglutide, sold under the name Wegovy, slashes risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular incidents.
- Mariana Lenharo
-
News |
Even moderate heat strains the human heart
People can experience cardiovascular strain — a progressive increase in heart rate — before their internal temperatures are affected.
- Mariana Lenharo
-
Outlook |
Revealing vascular roadblocks in the brain
High-resolution imaging quickly identifies blood clots before they inflict major damage.
- Michael Eisenstein
-
News & Views |
Molecule in mothers’ milk nurses pups’ heart cells to maturity
A fatty acid in the milk of nursing mice has been found to trigger a transformation in the metabolic pathways that are active in pups’ heart muscle cells, enabling the cells to rapidly mature after birth.
- Pingzhu Zhou
- & William T. Pu
-
News |
Mother’s milk helps baby mouse hearts to develop
A component of the milk consumed by newborn mice triggers a crucial shift in heart cells’ metabolism.
- Elissa Welle
-
Article
| Open Access
Cardiogenic control of affective behavioural state
Direct elevation of heart rate using noninvasive optogenetics in mice influences anxiety-like behaviours in specific environmental contexts, and the posterior insular cortex is implicated in this integration of signals from the heart with environmental risk information.
- Brian Hsueh
- , Ritchie Chen
- & Karl Deisseroth
-
Research Highlight |
Genome editor tackles disease that can cause sudden death
Scientists repair a mutation that causes heart-muscle abnormalities and can kill without warning.
-
Research Highlight |
‘Good’ cholesterol readings can lead to bad results for Black people
Low levels of one type of cholesterol predict heart-disease risk in white people only.
-
Research Highlight |
A heartbeat’s machinery becomes visible to the eye
Scientists devise a molecule to illuminate the cardiac cells behind the organ’s reliable rhythm.
-
Research Briefing |
A map of the human heart after myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is one of the world’s biggest killers. An analysis of spatial and single-cell changes to human tissue after a heart attack provides insights into disease mechanisms and builds a resource for the discovery of therapeutics.
-
Comment |
Partially revived pig organs could force a rethink of critical-care processes
Procedures used in life support and to preserve organs in deceased human donors might one day need to be re-evaluated in the wake of a study that restored some cell function in pigs one hour after death.
- Brendan Parent
-
News |
Pig organs partially revived in dead animals — researchers are stunned
Scientists warn that the findings aren’t yet clinically relevant but say the research raises ethical questions about the definition of death.
- Max Kozlov
-
Article |
Integrated multi-omic characterization of congenital heart disease
Single-nuclear transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identify molecular characteristics shared by multiple classes of congenital heart disease, including phenotypes associated with insulin resistance.
- Matthew C. Hill
- , Zachary A. Kadow
- & James F. Martin
-
Article |
Molecularly defined circuits for cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary control
In mouse, two distinct types of neurons from the brainstem nucleus ambiguus, one that innervates the heart and another that innervates both the heart and lung, collectively control cardiac function and coordinate cardiac and pulmonary function.
- Avin Veerakumar
- , Andrea R. Yung
- & Mark A. Krasnow
-
Innovations In |
Discrimination Is Breaking People’s Hearts
Heart attacks, strokes and other consequences of cardiovascular disease are particularly dangerous for people who face inequity.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
-
News & Views |
Crosstalk between nerves, immune cells and plaques drives atherosclerosis
Fatty structures called plaques can form in arteries, and are separated from nerves by the artery walls. But this is no barrier to communication — it seems that nerves interact with plaques and immune cells to drive cardiovascular disease.
- Courtney Clyburn
- & Susan J. Birren
-
News & Views |
Cardiovascular diseases disrupt the bone-marrow niche
The production of blood cells, including some immune cells, relies heavily on the bone-marrow microenvironment. Cardiovascular diseases are now found to corrupt this niche, leading to imbalances in blood-cell production.
- Tomer Itkin
- & Shahin Rafii
-
Outline |
The surgical solution to congenital heart defects
Some babies are born with hearts that have missing or malformed parts. A series of delicate operations can fix the damage and extend the lives of these children.
- Benjamin Plackett
-
Outline |
How to repair a baby’s broken heart
Some babies are born with a rare disorder in which only one of the lower chambers of their heart works properly. These single-ventricle defects (SVDs) can be managed through a complex series of operations.
- Benjamin Plackett
-
Outline |
Video: Babies with misshapen hearts
Babies born with one small or malformed ventricle can be treated with a series of surgeries, but new techniques could allow doctors to begin treatment from within the womb.
-
Outlook |
Homing in on an oral link to inflammatory disease
The immunological effects of untreated gum disease can amplify risk of a range of disorders — but could also create opportunities for intervention.
- Michael Eisenstein
-
News Feature |
COVID vaccines and blood clots: what researchers know so far
Scientists are trying to understand why a small number of people develop a mysterious clotting disorder after receiving a COVID jab.
- Heidi Ledford
-
Outlook |
A graphical guide to ischaemic heart disease
Globally, 9 million people die each year from ischaemic heart disease. Despite falling rates of heart disease, tackling it is still a stubborn challenge.
- Benjamin Plackett
-
Outlook |
Heart health
Research is revealing the causes of heart disease and what can be done to tackle the world’s biggest killer.
- Herb Brody
-
Outlook |
How a child’s heart health could be decided before birth
Lifestyle is a major contributor to heart disease in adults, but risk factors such as genetics and parent lifestyle can also have an effect.
- Bianca Nogrady
-
Outlook |
Immune cells that remember inflammation could offer treatment targets for atherosclerosis
A type of immune-cell priming called trained immunity is helping researchers to understand the disease mechanisms behind the build up of fatty deposits in arteries.
- Amanda B. Keener
-
Outlook |
Cells or drugs? The race to regenerate the heart
Researchers are debating how to convince the heart to heal itself instead of laying down scar tissue after a heart attack.
- Benjamin Plackett
-
Outlook |
Ranking the risk of heart disease
By accounting for the additive effect of multiple genetic variants, researchers can develop a system that improves their ability to identify the most vulnerable.
- Michael Eisenstein
-
Outlook |
Is there more to a healthy-heart diet than cholesterol?
A high-fat diet is thought to increase the risk of a heart attack. But some say that the long-held dogma of ‘bad’ cholesterol might be flawed.
- Natalie Healey
-
Outlook |
Women’s heart health is not just about hormones
Heart-disease risk increases as women get older but explanations that centre on changes after menopause don’t tell the full story.
- Jumana Saleh
-
Outlook |
Inflammation in heart disease: do researchers know enough?
Anti-inflammatory therapies for cardiovascular disease are nearing the clinic. But whether scientists understand how inflammation contributes to fatty-deposit build-up well enough to target it effectively is open to debate.
- Sarah DeWeerdt
-
Outlook |
COVID’s cardiac connection
Coronavirus infections might cause lasting harm to the heart, even in those who have never had symptoms.
- Elie Dolgin
-
Article |
PIK3CA and CCM mutations fuel cavernomas through a cancer-like mechanism
Aggressive cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are found to grow through a three-hit cancer-like mechanism, involving gain of function of a gene that promotes vascular growth, and loss of function of genes that suppress it.
- Aileen A. Ren
- , Daniel A. Snellings
- & Mark L. Kahn
-
Where I Work |
Tackling the number-one killer in my community
Molecular biologist Desireé Leach studies the mechanisms of heart disease, the leading cause of death among Black people in the United States.
- Amber Dance
-
Article |
Tension heterogeneity directs form and fate to pattern the myocardial wall
Differences in the mechanical properties of individual cardiomyocytes drive their segregation into compact versus trabecular layer, thereby transforming the myocardium in a developing heart from a simple epithelium into an intricately patterned tissue with distinct cell fates.
- Rashmi Priya
- , Srinivas Allanki
- & Didier Y. R. Stainier
-
Article |
Paracrine signalling by cardiac calcitonin controls atrial fibrogenesis and arrhythmia
Heart atria produce a large pool of calcitonin (previously well-recognized as a thyroid-secreted hormone with roles in calcium and bone metabolism) that in the heart acts as a paracrine signal controlling atrial fibrosis and fibrillation.
- Lucia M. Moreira
- , Abhijit Takawale
- & Svetlana Reilly
-
Article |
Capillary cell-type specialization in the alveolus
Single-cell analysis of blood vessels in the alveolus, the site of chronic disease and virus-induced lung injury, reveals two intermingled endothelial cell types with specialized gas exchange and stem cell functions.
- Astrid Gillich
- , Fan Zhang
- & Ross J. Metzger
Five steps to connect genetic risk variants to disease