scholarly journals An Appreciation of Anatomy in the Molecular World

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Bjarke Jensen ◽  
Vincent M. Christoffels ◽  
Antoon F. M. Moorman
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Regional Differentiation ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Differentiation And Proliferation ◽  
Special Case

Robert H. Anderson is one of the most important and accomplished cardiac anatomists of the last decades, having made major contributions to our understanding of the anatomy of normal hearts and the pathologies of acquired and congenital heart diseases. While cardiac anatomy as a research discipline has become largely subservient to molecular biology, anatomists like Professor Anderson demonstrate anatomy has much to offer. Here, we provide cases of early anatomical insights on the heart that were rediscovered, and expanded on, by molecular techniques: migration of neural crest cells to the heart was deduced from histological observations (1908) and independently shown again with experimental interventions; pharyngeal mesoderm is added to the embryonic heart (1973) in what is now defined as the molecularly distinguishable second heart field; chambers develop from the heart tube as regional pouches in what is now considered the ballooning model by the molecular identification of regional differentiation and proliferation. The anatomical discovery of the conduction system by Purkinje, His, Tawara, Keith, and Flack is a special case because the main findings were never neglected in later molecular studies. Professor Anderson has successfully demonstrated that sound knowledge of anatomy is indispensable for proper understanding of cardiac development.

scholarly journals Numb family proteins: novel players in cardiac morphogenesis and cardiac progenitor cell differentiation

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingfu Wu ◽  
Jingjing Li
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Asymmetric Distribution ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Cardiac Morphogenesis ◽  
Cardiac Progenitor Cell ◽  
Heart Field

AbstractVertebrate heart formation is a spatiotemporally regulated morphogenic process that initiates with bilaterally symmetric cardiac primordial cells migrating toward the midline to form a linear heart tube. The heart tube then elongates and undergoes a series of looping morphogenesis, followed by expansions of regions that are destined to become primitive heart chambers. During the cardiac morphogenesis, cells derived from the first heart field contribute to the primary heart tube, and cells from the secondary heart field, cardiac neural crest, and pro-epicardial organ are added to the heart tube in a precise spatiotemporal manner. The coordinated addition of these cells and the accompanying endocardial cushion morphogenesis yield the atrial, ventricular, and valvular septa, resulting in the formation of a four-chambered heart. Perturbation of progenitor cells’ deployment and differentiation leads to a spectrum of congenital heart diseases. Two of the genes that were recently discovered to be involved in cardiac morphogenesis are Numb and Numblike. Numb, an intracellular adaptor protein, distinguishes sibling cell fates by its asymmetric distribution between the two daughter cells and its ability to inhibit Notch signaling. Numb regulates cardiac progenitor cell differentiation in Drosophila and controls heart tube laterality in Zebrafish. In mice, Numb and Numblike, the Numb family proteins (NFPs), function redundantly and have been shown to be essential for epicardial development, cardiac progenitor cell differentiation, outflow tract alignment, atrioventricular septum morphogenesis, myocardial trabeculation, and compaction. In this review, we will summarize the functions of NFPs in cardiac development and discuss potential mechanisms of NFPs in the regulation of cardiac development.

scholarly journals Outflow Tract Formation—Embryonic Origins of Conotruncal Congenital Heart Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Sonia Stefanovic ◽  
Heather C. Etchevers ◽  
Stéphane Zaffran
Keyword(s):  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Dynamic Structure ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Outflow Tract ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Multiple Cell ◽  
The Many

Anomalies in the cardiac outflow tract (OFT) are among the most frequent congenital heart defects (CHDs). During embryogenesis, the cardiac OFT is a dynamic structure at the arterial pole of the heart. Heart tube elongation occurs by addition of cells from pharyngeal, splanchnic mesoderm to both ends. These progenitor cells, termed the second heart field (SHF), were first identified twenty years ago as essential to the growth of the forming heart tube and major contributors to the OFT. Perturbation of SHF development results in common forms of CHDs, including anomalies of the great arteries. OFT development also depends on paracrine interactions between multiple cell types, including myocardial, endocardial and neural crest lineages. In this publication, dedicated to Professor Andriana Gittenberger-De Groot and her contributions to the field of cardiac development and CHDs, we review some of her pioneering studies of OFT development with particular interest in the diverse origins of the many cell types that contribute to the OFT. We also discuss the clinical implications of selected key findings for our understanding of the etiology of CHDs and particularly OFT malformations.

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

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.

Cardiac embryogenesis

ESC CardioMed ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Robert G. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Embryonic Heart ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Cell Niche ◽  
The Right

The embryonic heart forms in anterior lateral splanchnic mesoderm and is derived from Mesp1-expressing progenitor cells. During embryonic folding, the earliest differentiating progenitor cells form the linear heart tube in the ventral midline. The heart tube extends in length and loops to the right as new myocardium is progressively added at the venous and arterial poles from multipotent second heart field cardiovascular progenitor cells in contiguous pharyngeal mesoderm. While the linear heart tube gives rise to the left ventricle, the right ventricle, outflow tract, and a large part of atrial myocardium are derived from the second heart field. Progressive myocardial differentiation is controlled by intercellular signals within the progenitor cell niche. The embryonic heart is the template for septation and growth of the four-chambered definitive heart and defects in progenitor cell deployment result in a spectrum of common forms of congenital heart defects.

scholarly journals Vangl2-Regulated Polarisation of Second Heart Field-Derived Cells Is Required for Outflow Tract Lengthening during Cardiac Development

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e1004871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon A. Ramsbottom ◽  
Vipul Sharma ◽  
Hong Jun Rhee ◽  
Lorraine Eley ◽  
Helen M. Phillips ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Outflow Tract ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field

Cardiac embryogenesis

ESC CardioMed ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Robert G. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Embryonic Heart ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Cell Niche ◽  
The Right

The embryonic heart forms in anterior lateral splanchnic mesoderm and is derived from Mesp1-expressing progenitor cells. During embryonic folding, the earliest differentiating progenitor cells form the linear heart tube in the ventral midline. The heart tube extends in length and loops to the right as new myocardium is progressively added at the venous and arterial poles from multipotent second heart field cardiovascular progenitor cells in contiguous pharyngeal mesoderm. While the linear heart tube gives rise to the left ventricle, the right ventricle, outflow tract, and a large part of atrial myocardium are derived from the second heart field. Progressive myocardial differentiation is controlled by intercellular signals within the progenitor cell niche. The embryonic heart is the template for septation and growth of the four-chambered definitive heart and defects in progenitor cell deployment result in a spectrum of common forms of congenital heart defects.

scholarly journals Isl1 Expression at the Venous Pole Identifies a Novel Role for the Second Heart Field in Cardiac Development

2007 ◽  
Vol 101 (10) ◽  
pp. 971-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S. Snarr ◽  
Jessica L. O’Neal ◽  
Mastan R. Chintalapudi ◽  
Elaine E. Wirrig ◽  
Aimee L. Phelps ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field

scholarly journals Lamb1a regulates atrial growth by limiting second heart field addition during zebrafish heart development

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Derrick ◽  
Eric J. G. Pollitt ◽  
Ashley Sanchez Sevilla Uruchurtu ◽  
Farah Hussein ◽  
Andrew J. Grierson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Development ◽  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Cardiac Contractility ◽  
Asymmetric Structure ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Heart Morphogenesis ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Heart Size ◽  
Zebrafish Heart

During early vertebrate heart development the heart transitions from a linear tube to a complex asymmetric structure, a morphogenetic process which occurs simultaneously with growth of the heart. Cardiac growth during early heart morphogenesis is driven by deployment of cells from the Second Heart Field (SHF) into both poles of the heart. Laminin is a core component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and although mutations in laminin subunits are linked with cardiac abnormalities, no role for laminin has been identified in early vertebrate heart morphogenesis. We identified tissue-specific expression of laminin genes in the developing zebrafish heart, supporting a role for laminins in heart morphogenesis. Analysis of heart development in lamb1a zebrafish mutant embryos reveals mild morphogenetic defects and progressive cardiomegaly, and that Lamb1a functions to limit heart size during cardiac development by restricting SHF addition. lamb1a mutants exhibit hallmarks of altered haemodynamics, and blocking cardiac contractility in lamb1a mutants rescues heart size and atrial SHF addition. Together this suggests that laminin mediates interactions between SHF deployment and cardiac biomechanics during heart development and growth in the developing embryo.

scholarly journals A Role for the Cytoskeleton in Heart Looping

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 280-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kersti K. Linask ◽  
Michael VanAuker
Keyword(s):  
Heart Development ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Heart Tube ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
The Past ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Nonmuscle Myosin Ii ◽  
Heart Looping ◽  
Heart Field

Over the past 10 years, key genes involved in specification of left-right laterality pathways in the embryo have been defined. The read-out for misexpression of laterality genes is usually the direction of heart looping. The question of how dextral looping direction occurred mechanistically and how the heart tube bends remains unknown. It is becoming clear from our experiments and those of others that left-right differences in cell proliferation in the second heart field (anterior heart field) drives the dextral direction. Evidence is accumulating that the cytoskeleton is at the center of laterality, and the bending and rotational forces associated with heart looping. If laterality pathways are modulated upstream, the cytoskeleton, including nonmuscle myosin II (NMHC-II), is altered downstream within the cardiomyocytes, leading to looping abnormalities. The cytoskeleton is associated with important mechanosensing and signaling pathways in cell biology and development. The initiation of blood flow during the looping period and the inherent stresses associated with increasing volumes of blood flowing into the heart may help to potentiate the process. In recent years, the steps involved in this central and complex process of heart development that is the basis of numerous congenital heart defects are being unraveled.

Abstract MP245: Tet Proteins Regulate Second Heart Field Multipotent Progenitors Differentiating To Myocytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohai Fang ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Jeff D Steimle ◽  
Lei Guo ◽  
Yuhan Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dna Demethylation ◽  
Lineage Specification ◽  
Second Heart Field ◽  
Heart Field ◽  
Cardiac Lineage ◽  
Tet Protein

DNA methylation and demethylation play an important role in shaping the epigenetic landscape and chromatin accessibility to control gene expression during development in mammals. Ten-eleven Translocation (Tet1, Tet2 and Tet3) is a family of dioxygenases that catalyze DNA methylation oxidation with ultimate DNA demethylation. Our previous study showed that cardiac-specific deletion of Tet2 and Tet3 could disrupt YY1-mediated long range chromatin interactions during heart development and lead to ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy. However, it is still unclear whether and how Tet protein mediated epigenetic modifications contribute to cardiac lineage specification during embryonic development. In this study, we generated cardiac specific Tet1-3 triple deficient (Tet-TKO) mouse lines using various cardiac specific Cres to evaluate the function of Tet protein in regulating cardiac lineage specification. We observed developmental defects at outflow tract (OFT) in Tet-TKO embryos, suggesting that Tet deficiency affects the second heart field (SHF) development. Single cell RNA-seq analysis further revealed the accumulation of multipotent SHF progenitors and subsequent halt of myocyte differentiation upon Tet depletion. At the molecular level, we found that Tet ablation perturbs the transcriptional network of Islet1, a transcription factor that is crucial for cardiac development in embryos. Overall, our study demonstrates a critical role of Tet-mediated epigenetic regulation for embryonic cardiac development.

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