Using doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy mice model, Zhang et al. provided elegant insight into the paracrine effects by which MSCs improve the structural and functional healing outcome, and highlighted the critical role of Rap1-mediated NF-κB signaling and the secretion of MIF and GDF-15 in this process26,27. This evidence concerns the gene NFKB1 and cardiomyopathy.