Increased cardiac stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) expression promotes neovascularization and myocardial repair after ischemic injury through recruiting stem cells and reducing cardiomyocyte death. Previous studies have shown that heme oxygenase-1 and its reaction byproduct, carbon monoxide (CO), induce SDF-1α expression in ischemic heart. However, the mechanism underlying heme oxygenase-1/CO-induced cardiac SDF-1α expression remains elusive.