The ECM as a driver of heart development and repair

ABSTRACTThe developing heart is formed of two tissue layers separated by an extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides chemical and physical signals to cardiac cells. While deposition of specific ECM components creates matrix diversity, the cardiac ECM is also dynamic, with modification and degradation playing important roles in ECM maturation and function. In this Review, we discuss the spatiotemporal changes in ECM composition during cardiac development that support distinct aspects of heart morphogenesis. We highlight conserved requirements for specific ECM components in human cardiac development, and discuss emerging evidence of a central role for the ECM in promoting heart regeneration.

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Bearing My Heart: The Role of Extracellular Matrix on Cardiac Development, Homeostasis, and Injury Response

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ◽

10.3389/fcell.2020.621644 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Ana Catarina Silva ◽

Cassilda Pereira ◽

Ana Catarina R. G. Fonseca ◽

Perpétua Pinto-do-Ó ◽

Diana S. Nascimento

Keyword(s):

Extracellular Matrix ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Cardiac Cells ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Fibrotic Tissue ◽

Short Period ◽

And Function ◽

Regenerative Therapies ◽

The Impact

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential component of the heart that imparts fundamental cellular processes during organ development and homeostasis. Most cardiovascular diseases involve severe remodeling of the ECM, culminating in the formation of fibrotic tissue that is deleterious to organ function. Treatment schemes effective at managing fibrosis and promoting physiological ECM repair are not yet in reach. Of note, the composition of the cardiac ECM changes significantly in a short period after birth, concurrent with the loss of the regenerative capacity of the heart. This highlights the importance of understanding ECM composition and function headed for the development of more efficient therapies. In this review, we explore the impact of ECM alterations, throughout heart ontogeny and disease, on cardiac cells and debate available approaches to deeper insights on cell–ECM interactions, toward the design of new regenerative therapies.

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Recapitulating Cardiac Structure and Function In Vitro from Simple to Complex Engineering

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi12040386 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 386

Author(s):

Ana Santos ◽

Yongjun Jang ◽

Inwoo Son ◽

Jongseong Kim ◽

Yongdoo Park

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

Extracellular Matrix ◽

Computational Modeling ◽

Cardiac Tissue ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Heart Tissue ◽

Cardiac Tissue Engineering ◽

Cardiac Cells

Cardiac tissue engineering aims to generate in vivo-like functional tissue for the study of cardiac development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Since the heart is composed of various types of cells and extracellular matrix with a specific microenvironment, the fabrication of cardiac tissue in vitro requires integrating technologies of cardiac cells, biomaterials, fabrication, and computational modeling to model the complexity of heart tissue. Here, we review the recent progress of engineering techniques from simple to complex for fabricating matured cardiac tissue in vitro. Advancements in cardiomyocytes, extracellular matrix, geometry, and computational modeling will be discussed based on a technology perspective and their use for preparation of functional cardiac tissue. Since the heart is a very complex system at multiscale levels, an understanding of each technique and their interactions would be highly beneficial to the development of a fully functional heart in cardiac tissue engineering.

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Abnormal Cardiac Development in the Absence of Heart Glycogen

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.24.16.7179-7187.2004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 24 (16) ◽

pp. 7179-7187 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Bartholomew A. Pederson ◽

Hanying Chen ◽

Jill M. Schroeder ◽

Weinian Shou ◽

Anna A. DePaoli-Roach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Function ◽

Cardiac Muscle ◽

Heart Development ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Glycogen Synthase ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Mendelian Inheritance ◽

And Function ◽

Impaired Cardiac Function

ABSTRACT Glycogen serves as a repository of glucose in many mammalian tissues. Mice lacking this glucose reserve in muscle, heart, and several other tissues were generated by disruption of the GYS1 gene, which encodes an isoform of glycogen synthase. Crossing mice heterozygous for the GYS1 disruption resulted in a significant underrepresentation of GYS1-null mice in the offspring. Timed matings established that Mendelian inheritance was followed for up to 18.5 days postcoitum (dpc) and that ∼90% of GYS1-null animals died soon after birth due to impaired cardiac function. Defects in cardiac development began between 11.5 and 14.5 dpc. At 18.5 dpc, the hearts were significantly smaller, with reduced ventricular chamber size and enlarged atria. Consistent with impaired cardiac function, edema, pooling of blood, and hemorrhagic liver were seen. Glycogen synthase and glycogen were undetectable in cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle from the surviving null mice, and the hearts showed normal morphology and function. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common birth defects in humans, at up to 1 in 50 live births. The results provide the first direct evidence that the ability to synthesize glycogen in cardiac muscle is critical for normal heart development and hence that its impairment could be a significant contributor to congenital heart defects.

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Abstract 257: Clonal Analysis Of Multipotent Cardiovascular Progenitors That Generate Cardiomyocytes During Development

Circulation Research ◽

10.1161/res.115.suppl_1.257 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 115 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Konstantina Ioanna Sereti ◽

Paniz Kamran Rashani ◽

Peng Zhao ◽

Reza Ardehali

Keyword(s):

Single Cell ◽

Heart Development ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Clonal Analysis ◽

Cardiac Cells ◽

Single Cell Level ◽

Reporter System ◽

Cell Level ◽

Cardiac Progenitors

It has been proposed that cardiac development in lower vertebrates is driven by the proliferation of cardiomyocytes. Similarly, cycling myocytes have been suggested to direct cardiac regeneration in neonatal mice after injury. Although, the role of cardiomyocyte proliferation in cardiac tissue generation during development has been well documented, the extent of this contribution as well as the role of other cell types, such as progenitor cells, still remains controversial. Here we used a novel stochastic four-color Cre-dependent reporter system (Rainbow) that allows labeling at a single cell level and retrospective analysis of the progeny. Cardiac progenitors expressing Mesp1 or Nkx2.5 were shown to be a source of cardiomyocytes during embryonic development while the onset of αMHC expression marked the developmental stage where the capacity of cardiac cells to proliferate diminishes significantly. Through direct clonal analysis we provide strong evidence supporting that cardiac progenitors, as opposed to mature cardiomyocytes, are the main source of cardiomyocytes during cardiac development. Moreover, we have identified quadri-, tri-, bi, and uni-potent progenitors that at a single cell level can generate cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Although existing cardiomyocytes undergo limited proliferation, our data indicates that it is mainly the progenitors that contribute to heart development. Furthermore, we show that the limited proliferation capacity of cardiomyocytes observed during normal development was enhanced following neonatal cardiac injury allowing almost complete regeneration of the scared tissue. However, this ability was largely absent in adult injured hearts. Detailed characterization of dividing cardiomyocytes and proliferating progenitors would greatly benefit the development of novel therapeutic options for cardiovascular diseases.

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Lamb1a regulates atrial growth by limiting excessive, contractility-dependent second heart field addition during zebrafish heart development

10.1101/2021.03.10.434727 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher J. Derrick ◽

Eric J. G. Pollitt ◽

Ashley Sanchez Sevilla Uruchurtu ◽

Farah Hussein ◽

Emily S. Noёl

Keyword(s):

Heart Development ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Basement Membranes ◽

Atrioventricular Canal ◽

Cardiac Morphogenesis ◽

Heart Morphogenesis ◽

Second Heart Field ◽

Heart Field ◽

Heart Size ◽

Zebrafish Heart

AbstractDuring early vertebrate heart development, the heart transitions from a linear tube to a complex asymmetric structure. This process includes looping of the tube and ballooning of the emerging cardiac chambers, which occur simultaneously with growth of the heart. A key driver of cardiac growth is deployment of cells from the Second Heart Field (SHF) into both poles of the heart, with cardiac morphogenesis and growth intimately linked in heart development. Laminin is a core component of extracellular matrix (ECM) basement membranes, and although mutations in specific laminin subunits are linked with a variety of cardiac abnormalities, including congenital heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy, no role for laminin has been identified in early vertebrate heart morphogenesis. We identified dynamic, tissue-specific expression of laminin subunit genes in the developing zebrafish heart, supporting a role for laminins in heart morphogenesis.lamb1amutants exhibit cardiomegaly from 2dpf onwards, with subsequent progressive defects in cardiac morphogenesis characterised by a failure of the chambers to compact around the developing atrioventricular canal. We show that loss oflamb1aresults in excess addition of SHF cells to the atrium, revealing that Lamb1a functions to limit heart size during cardiac development by restricting SHF addition to the venous pole.lamb1amutants exhibit hallmarks of altered haemodynamics, and specifically blocking cardiac contractility inlamb1amutants rescues heart size and atrial SHF addition. Furthermore, we identify that FGF and RA signalling, two conserved pathways promoting SHF addition, are regulated by heart contractility and are dysregulated inlamb1amutants, suggesting that laminin mediates interactions between SHF deployment, heart biomechanics, and biochemical signalling during heart development. Together, this describes the first requirement for laminins in early vertebrate heart morphogenesis, reinforcing the importance of specialised ECM composition in cardiac development.

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The cardiac homeobox gene Csx/Nkx2.5 lies genetically upstream of multiple genes essential for heart development

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.126.6.1269 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 126 (6) ◽

pp. 1269-1280 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

M. Tanaka ◽

Z. Chen ◽

S. Bartunkova ◽

N. Yamasaki ◽

S. Izumo

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Myocytes ◽

Heart Development ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Es Cells ◽

Homeobox Gene ◽

Yolk Sac ◽

Tunel Staining ◽

Mesoderm Specification ◽

Developing Heart ◽

Heart Looping

Csx/Nkx2.5 is a vertebrate homeobox gene with a sequence homology to the Drosophila tinman, which is required for the dorsal mesoderm specification. Recently, heterozygous mutations of this gene were found to cause human congenital heart disease (Schott, J.-J., Benson, D. W., Basson, C. T., Pease, W., Silberbach, G. M., Moak, J. P., Maron, B. J., Seidman, C. E. and Seidman, J. G. (1998) Science 281, 108–111). To investigate the functions of Csx/Nkx2.5 in cardiac and extracardiac development in the vertebrate, we have generated and analyzed mutant mice completely null for Csx/Nkx2.5. Homozygous null embryos showed arrest of cardiac development after looping and poor development of blood vessels. Moreover, there were severe defects in vascular formation and hematopoiesis in the mutant yolk sac. Interestingly, TUNEL staining and PCNA staining showed neither enhanced apoptosis nor reduced cell proliferation in the mutant myocardium. In situ hybridization studies demonstrated that, among 20 candidate genes examined, expression of ANF, BNP, MLC2V, N-myc, MEF2C, HAND1 and Msx2 was disturbed in the mutant heart. Moreover, in the heart of adult chimeric mice generated from Csx/Nkx2.5 null ES cells, there were almost no ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes, while there were substantial contributions of Csx /Nkx2.5-deficient cells in other organs. Whole-mount β-gal staining of chimeric embryos showed that more than 20% contribution of Csx/Nkx2. 5-deficient cells in the heart arrested cardiac development. These results indicate that (1) the complete null mutation of Csx/Nkx2.5 did not abolish initial heart looping, (2) there was no enhanced apoptosis or defective cell cycle entry in Csx/Nkx2.5 null cardiac myocytes, (3) Csx/Nkx2.5 regulates expression of several essential transcription factors in the developing heart, (4) Csx/Nkx2.5 is required for later differentiation of cardiac myocytes, (5) Csx/Nkx2. 5 null cells exert dominant interfering effects on cardiac development, and (6) there were severe defects in yolk sac angiogenesis and hematopoiesis in the Csx/Nkx2.5 null embryos.

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Expression of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2) in the Developing Heart

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927605050518 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 260-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Mary O. Morales ◽

Robert L. Price ◽

Edie C. Goldsmith

Keyword(s):

Extracellular Matrix ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Cardiac Fibroblasts ◽

Matrix Proteins ◽

Collagen Types ◽

Discoidin Domain Receptor ◽

Developing Heart ◽

Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 ◽

Endocardial Surface ◽

Coronary Endothelium

Interactions between cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix are important for a number of developmental events. In the heart, cardiac fibroblasts produce the majority of extracellular matrix proteins, particularly collagen types I and III. Cells originating from the proepicardial organ migrate over the surface of the heart, invade the underlying myocardium and ultimately give rise to smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and coronary endothelium. Although integrin expression in the developing heart has been well characterized, the expression of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2) remains to be defined. Using confocal microscopy, the expression of DDR2 was examined at several points during cardiac development. Initially, DDR2 expression was detected on the epicardial surface of the heart and on endothelial and mesenchymal cells within the cardiac cushions. As development progressed, DDR2 expression increased at localized regions in the apex and atrioventricular sulcus, although this expression decreased from epicardial to endocardial surface. Eventually, DDR2 expression spanned the myocardial free wall and was detected within the septum. Not until postnatal development was DDR2 expression detected uniformly throughout the myocardium and this distribution was maintained in the adult heart. In summary, the data presented demonstrate that the distribution of DDR2-positive cells changes within the heart during development.

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Tissue-resident macrophages regulate lymphatic vessel growth and patterning in the developing heart

10.1101/2020.06.30.179952 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas J. Cahill ◽

Xin Sun ◽

Christophe Ravaud ◽

Cristina Villa del Campo ◽

Konstantinos Klaourakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Development ◽

Lymphatic Vessel ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Lymphatic Endothelial Cell ◽

Vascular Plexus ◽

Developing Heart ◽

Vessel Growth ◽

Summary Statement ◽

And Function

AbstractMacrophages are components of the innate immune system with key roles in tissue inflammation and repair. It is now evident that macrophages also support organogenesis, but few studies have characterized their identity, ontogeny and function during heart development. Here, we show that resident macrophages in the subepicardial compartment of the developing heart coincide with the emergence of new lymphatics and interact closely with the nascent lymphatic capillaries. Consequently, global macrophage-deficiency led to extensive vessel disruption with mutant hearts exhibiting shortened and mis-patterned lymphatics. The origin of cardiac macrophages was linked to the yolk sac and fetal liver. Moreover, Csf1r+ and Cx3cr1+ myeloid sub-lineages were found to play essential functions in the remodeling of the lymphatic endothelium. Mechanistically, macrophage hyaluronan was found to be required for lymphatic sprouting by mediating direct macrophage-lymphatic endothelial cell interactions. Together, these findings reveal insight into the role of macrophages as indispensable mediators of lymphatic growth during the development of the mammalian cardiac vasculature.Summary statementTissue-resident macrophages are indispensable mediators of lymphatic vessel formation during heart development and function to remodel the vascular plexus.

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The Expanding Role for Retinoid Signaling in Heart Development

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1100/tsw.2008.39 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 194-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Loretta L. Hoover ◽

Elizabeth G. Burton ◽

Bonnie A. Brooks ◽

Steven W. Kubalak

Keyword(s):

Vitamin A ◽

Heart Development ◽

Cardiac Development ◽

Tube Formation ◽

Conditional Knockout ◽

Heart Tube ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Retinoid Signaling ◽

Developing Heart ◽

Cardiac Lineage

The importance of retinoid signaling during cardiac development has long been appreciated, but recently has become a rapidly expanding field of research. Experiments performed over 50 years ago showed that too much or too little maternal intake of vitamin A proved detrimental for embryos, resulting in a cadre of predictable cardiac developmental defects. Germline and conditional knockout mice have revealed which molecular players in the vitamin A signaling cascade are potentially responsible for regulating specific developmental events, and many of these molecules have been temporally and spatially characterized. It is evident that intact and controlled retinoid signaling is necessary for each stage of cardiac development to proceed normally, including cardiac lineage determination, heart tube formation, looping, epicardium formation, ventricular maturation, chamber and outflow tract septation, and coronary arteriogenesis. This review summarizes many of the significant milestones in this field and particular attention is given to recently uncovered cross-talk between retinoid signaling and other developmentally significant pathways. It is our hope that this review of the role of retinoid signaling during formation, remodeling, and maturation of the developing heart will serve as a tool for future discoveries.

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Yap is required for scar formation but not myocyte proliferation during heart regeneration in zebrafish

Cardiovascular Research ◽

10.1093/cvr/cvy243 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (3) ◽

pp. 570-577 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Michael A Flinn ◽

Brooke E Jeffery ◽

Caitlin C O’Meara ◽

Brian A Link

Keyword(s):

Heart Development ◽

Critical Role ◽

Scar Formation ◽

Cardiac Cells ◽

Mouse Heart ◽

Heart Regeneration ◽

Post Injury ◽

Myocyte Proliferation ◽

The Impact ◽

Zebrafish Heart

Abstract Aims The Hippo signalling pathway regulates multiple cellular processes during organ development and maintenance by modulating activity of the transcriptional cofactor Yap. Core components of this pathway are required for neonatal mouse heart regeneration, however, investigations to date have typically focused on expression and activity in cardiomyocytes. Due to the regenerative capacity of zebrafish and the fact that global loss of Yap is not fully embryonic lethal in zebrafish, we leveraged a yap null mutant to investigate the impact of constitutive Yap deletion during zebrafish heart regeneration. Methods and results Following cryoinjury in adult hearts, myocyte proliferation was not decreased in yap mutants, contrary to expectations based on mouse data. Experiments in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) revealed that deletion of either Yap or Taz had a modest effect on heart growth, reducing gross organ size, while their combined deletion was synergistic; thus, Yap and Taz share some overlapping roles in zebrafish heart development. Surprisingly, adult yap mutants exhibited decreased collagen composition at 7 days post-injury, suggesting a critical role for Yap in scar formation during heart regeneration. siRNA-mediated Yap knockdown in primary rat (Rattus norvegicus) cardiac cells revealed a fibroblast-specific role for Yap in controlling the expression of cytoskeletal and myofibroblast activation genes, as well as pro-inflammatory cyto/chemokines. Corroborating these RNAseq data, we observed increased macrophage infiltration in the scars of yap mutants at 7 days post-injury. Conclusion These results suggest that Yap deletion has minimal effect on myocyte proliferation in adults, but significantly influences scar formation and immune cell infiltration during zebrafish heart regeneration. Collectively, these data suggest an unexpected role for Yap in matrix formation and macrophage recruitment during heart regeneration.

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