Embryology of congenital ventriculo-coronary communications: a study on quail-chick chimeras

AbstractVentriculo-coronary arterial communications are rare congenital heart defects which have been explained traditionally on the basis of abnormal persistence of such communications found in the normal developing heart. Recent studies, however, have suggested that these embryonic communications might be an incidental finding rather than a normal feature. Thus, it has been suggested that congenital ventriculo-coronary communications do not represent remnants of normal embryonic vessels, but rather represent acquired lesions. In the present study, hearts were constructed in embryonic chicks in which the coronary vasculature was almost completely derived from a quail-donor. After immunohistochemical staining of the quail-derived coronary endothelium, chimeric hearts were analysed with respect to the presence of embryonic ventriculo-coronary communications, and with respect to the origin of these structures from either coronary arteries or endocardium. The results demonstrate the normal presence of ventriculo-coronary communications in avian embryonic hearts. They show, furthermore, that these structures are of coronary endothelial origin. The findings are in accord with the traditional view on the pathogenesis of congenital ventriculo-coronary communications. The roles of elevated ventricular pressure, abnormal remodelling of the developing myocardium, and of abnormal growth of the coronary vasculature are discussed relative to the pathogenesis of congenital ventriculo-coronary communications.

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Pathology and Advanced Imaging—Characterization of a Congenital Cardiac Defect and Complex Hemodynamics in a Pig: A Case Report

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.790019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra J. Malbon ◽

Miriam Weisskopf ◽

Lukas Glaus ◽

Sebastian Neuber ◽

Maximilian Y. Emmert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Congenital Heart ◽

Incidental Finding ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Circulatory System ◽

Hemodynamic Instability ◽

Pathological Examination ◽

Clear Fluid ◽

4D Flow ◽

Cardiovascular Research

Domestic pigs are widely used in cardiovascular research as the porcine circulatory system bears a remarkable resemblance to that of humans. In order to reduce variability, only clinically healthy animals enter the study as their health status is assessed in entry examination. Like humans, pigs can also suffer from congenital heart disease, such as an atrial septal defect (ASD), which often remains undetected. Due to the malformation of the endocardial cushion during organ development, mitral valve defects (e.g., mitral clefts) are sometimes associated with ASDs, further contributing to hemodynamic instability. In this work, we report an incidental finding of a hemodynamically highly relevant ASD in the presence of incompetent mitral and tricuspid valves, in an asymptomatic, otherwise healthy juvenile pig. In-depth characterization of the cardiac blood flow by four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a prominent diastolic left-to-right and discrete systolic right-to-left shunt, resulting in a pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio of 1.8. Severe mitral (15 mL/stroke) and tricuspid (22 mL/stroke) regurgitation further reduced cardiac output. Pathological examination confirmed the presence of an ostium primum ASD and found a serous cyst of lymphatic origin that was filled with clear fluid partially occluding the ASD. A large mitral cleft was identified as the most likely cause of severe regurgitation, and histology showed mild to moderate endocardiosis in the coaptation area of both atrio-ventricular valves. In summary, although not common, congenital heart defects could play a role as a cause of experimental variability or even intra-experimental mortality when working with apparently heathy, juvenile pigs.

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Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Congenital Membranous Ventricular Septal Aneurysm in the Dog and Cat

Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association ◽

10.5326/0410215 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 215-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

William P. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Ventricular Septal Defect ◽

Right Ventricle ◽

Cardiac Dysfunction ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Septal Defect ◽

Incidental Finding ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Thin Membrane ◽

Echocardiographic Examination ◽

The Right

Membranous ventricular septal aneurysm was diagnosed by echocardiography in 17 dogs and three cats. The aneurysm appeared as a thin membrane protruding into the right ventricle from the margins of a congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD). The aneurysm was intact in nine dogs and two cats and perforated by a small VSD in eight dogs and one cat. Other congenital heart defects were present in seven dogs. In all animals, the aneurysm was an incidental finding observed during echocardiographic examination, and it did not appear to directly cause any cardiac dysfunction.

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The developing heart and congenital heart defects: a make or break situation

Clinical Genetics ◽

10.1034/j.1399-0004.2003.00066.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 252-261 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

BG Bruneau

Keyword(s):

Congenital Heart Defects ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Developing Heart

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Mechanosensitive Pathways in Heart Development: Findings from Chick Embryo Studies

Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease ◽

10.3390/jcdd8040032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Maha Alser ◽

Samar Shurbaji ◽

Huseyin C. Yalcin

Keyword(s):

Chick Embryo ◽

Heart Development ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Genetic Regulation ◽

The Body ◽

Embryonic Chick ◽

Chemical Treatments ◽

Developing Heart

The heart is the first organ that starts to function in a developing embryo. It continues to undergo dramatic morphological changes while pumping blood to the rest of the body. Genetic regulation of heart development is partly governed by hemodynamics. Chick embryo is a major animal model that has been used extensively in cardiogenesis research. To reveal mechanosensitive pathways, a variety of surgical interferences and chemical treatments can be applied to the chick embryo to manipulate the blood flow. Such manipulations alter expressions of mechanosensitive genes which may anticipate induction of morphological changes in the developing heart. This paper aims to present different approaches for generating clinically relevant disturbed hemodynamics conditions using this embryonic chick model and to summarize identified mechanosensitive genes using the model, providing insights into embryonic origins of congenital heart defects.

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The developing heart: from The Wizard of Oz to congenital heart disease

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.194233 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 147 (21) ◽

pp. dev194233 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Benoit G. Bruneau

Keyword(s):

Developmental Biology ◽

Congenital Heart Disease ◽

Heart Development ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Postnatal Life ◽

Wizard Of Oz ◽

Developing Heart ◽

New Concepts

ABSTRACTThe heart is an essential organ with a fascinating developmental biology. It is also one of the organs that is most often affected in human disease, either during development or in postnatal life. Over the last few decades, insights into the development of the heart have led to fundamental new concepts in gene regulation, but also to genetic and mechanistic insights into congenital heart defects. In more recent years, the lessons learned from studying heart development have been applied to interrogating regeneration of the diseased heart, exemplifying the importance of understanding the mechanistic underpinnings that lead to the development of an organ.

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