Heart Field: From Mesoderm to Heart Tube

Abstract

In this review we discuss the major morphogenetic and regulative events that control myocardial progenitor cells from the time that they delaminate from the epiblast in the primitive streak to their differentiation into cardiomyocytes in the heart tube. During chick and mouse embryogenesis, myocardial progenitor cells go through four specific processes that are sequential but overlapping: specification of the cardiogenic mesoderm, determination of the bilaterally symmetric heart fields, patterning of the heart field, and finally cardiomyocyte differentiation and formation of the heart tube. We describe the morphological and molecular events that play a pivotal role in each of these four processes.

The Multiple Phases and Faces of Wnt Signaling During Cardiac Differentiation and Development

“…15 Retrospective clonal analyzes indicated that cells of both heart fields derive from one common cardiac progenitor cell population (CPC) and rather represent different cardiogenic lineages than unbridgeable cell populations. According to this model, both lineages differ with respect to the onset of terminal differentiation, 17,18 with cells of the second heart field lineage entering terminal differentiation later than those of the first heart field lineage. Consistently, cells of the second lineage express Isl1 longer than those of the first For detailed references and more information concerning expression domains, see also the recent reviews.…”

Cilia and coordination of signaling networks during heart development

“…Initially, a series of craniolateral endoderm-derived inductive signals combined with inhibitory signals derived from midline structures regulate early cardiogenesis. 82 In all cases, the signals are controlled and interpreted by multiple signaling pathways, of which many are involved in coordination of several stages of heart development. As an example, the Hh signaling pathway plays an important role in establishing L-R asymmetry in vertebrates.…”

“…82,[189][190][191][192][193][194] The Wnt signaling network consists of a highly complex signaling arrangement that traditionally is divided into canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling. 195 In canonical signaling, the binding of Wnt-ligands to Frizzled (Fz) receptors facilitates stabilization of β-catenin, which mediates transcription of canonical Wnt target genes in cell proliferation and differentiation.…”

Tbx5 overexpression favors a first heart field lineage in murine embryonic stem cells and in Xenopus laevis embryos

“…Later, these cells contribute mainly to the left ventricle and both atria of the mature heart. In contrast, cells of the SHF lineage stay longer in a proliferative progenitor state, are integrated into the heart tube later, enter terminal differentiation later, and are fundamental for right ventricle and outflow tract formation (Buckingham et al, 2005;Abu-Issa and Kirby, 2007;Laugwitz et al, 2008). Factors expressed in the SHF lineage before onset of differentiation are among others Isl1 and Tbx1, whereas differentiated derivatives of the SHF such as the outflow tract (OFT) or the right ventricle can be labeled by BMP4 or Hand2, respectively (Cai et al, 2003;Ilagan et al, 2006;Seo and Kume, 2006;Lin et al, 1997;Liu et al, 2004).…”