In the myocardium of patients with end-stage heart failure caused by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, ischemic and inflammatory cardiomyopathy and aortic valve stenosis the number of C-kit+ TCs/mm2 is also decreased more than twofold compared to the intact myocardium and inversely correlates with the amount of mature fibrillar collagen type I and collagen propeptides PINP and PIIINP60. Here, KIT is linked to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.