Home Science Half-hearted: New insight into why the heart doesn’t develop properly in some...

Half-hearted: New insight into why the heart doesn’t develop properly in some children

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Investigators have found evidence that the gene Ccdc117 supports the rapid growth of precursor cells needed for proper development of right-sided heart structures. It does so by promoting transfer of iron-sulfur compounds to enzymes crucial for DNA replication and repair. Silencing Ccdc117 impedes cell growth, which may prevent heart structures from developing properly.