Faculty Opinions recommendation of HEART DEVELOPMENT. Integration of Bmp and Wnt signaling by Hopx specifies commitment of cardiomyoblasts.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sassoon ◽  
Mariana Valente
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Heart Development

scholarly journals β-Catenin is required for endothelial-mesenchymal transformation during heart cushion development in the mouse

2004 ◽  
Vol 166 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Liebner ◽  
Anna Cattelino ◽  
Radiosa Gallini ◽  
Noemi Rudini ◽  
Monica Iurlaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Smooth Muscle Actin ◽  
Muscle Actin ◽  
Endocardial Cushions ◽  
Smad Phosphorylation ◽  
Mesenchymal Transformation

During heart development endocardial cells within the atrio-ventricular (AV) region undergo TGFβ-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and invade the underlying cardiac jelly. This process gives rise to the endocardial cushions from which AV valves and part of the septum originate. In this paper we show that in mouse embryos and in AV explants TGFβ induction of endocardial EMT is strongly inhibited in mice deficient for endothelial β-catenin, leading to a lack of heart cushion formation. Using a Wnt-signaling reporter mouse strain, we demonstrated in vivo and ex vivo that EMT in heart cushion is accompanied by activation of β-catenin/TCF/Lef transcriptional activity. In cultured endothelial cells, TGFβ2 induces α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression. This process was strongly reduced in β-catenin null cells, although TGFβ2 induced smad phosphorylation was unchanged. These data demonstrate an involvement of β-catenin/TCF/Lef transcriptional activity in heart cushion formation, and suggest an interaction between TGFβ and Wnt-signaling pathways in the induction of endothelial-mesenchymal transformation.

WNT signaling in atrial fibrillation

2021 ◽  
pp. 153537022199408
Author(s):  
Carmen Wolke ◽  
Elmer Antileo ◽  
Uwe Lendeckel
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Expression Activity ◽  
Signaling Components

The Wnt signaling pathway regulates physiological processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation, cell fate decisions, and stem cell maintenance and, thus, plays essential roles in embryonic development, but also in adult tissue homeostasis and repair. The Wnt signaling pathway has been associated with heart development and repair and has been shown to be crucially involved in proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells into cardiomyocytes. The investigation of the role of the Wnt signaling pathway and the regulation of its expression/activity in atrial fibrillation has only just begun. The present minireview (I) provides original data regarding the expression of Wnt signaling components in atrial tissue of patients with atrial fibrillation or sinus rhythm and (II) summarizes the current state of knowledge of the regulation of Wnt signaling components’ expression/activity and the contribution of the various levels of the Wnt signal transduction pathway to the processes of the development, maintenance, and progression of atrial fibrillation.

scholarly journals 1,25-Vitamin D3 promotes cardiac differentiation through modulation of the WNT signaling pathway

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su M Hlaing ◽  
Leah A Garcia ◽  
Jaime R Contreras ◽  
Keith C Norris ◽  
Monica G Ferrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Cardiac Differentiation ◽  
Cell Renewal ◽  
Canonical Wnt Signaling ◽  
Canonical Wnt

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with high risk of myocardial infarction, even after controlling for factors associated with coronary artery disease. A growing body of evidence indicates that vitamin D plays an important role in CVD-related signaling pathways. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism by which vitamin D modulates heart development. The WNT signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in tissue development by controlling stem cell renewal, lineage selection and, even more importantly, heart development. In this study, we examined the role of 1,25-D3(the active form of vitamin D) on cardiomyocyte proliferation, apoptosis, cell phenotype, cell cycle progression and differentiation into cardiomyotubes. We determined that the addition of 1,25-D3to cardiomyocytes cells: i) inhibits cell proliferation without promoting apoptosis; ii) decreases expression of genes related to the regulation of the cell cycle; iii) promotes formation of cardiomyotubes; iv) induces the expression of casein kinase-1-α1, a negative regulator of the canonical WNT signaling pathway; and v) increases the expression of the noncanonicalWNT11, which it has been demonstrated to induce cardiac differentiation during embryonic development and in adult cells. In conclusion, we postulate that vitamin D promotes cardiac differentiation through a negative modulation of the canonical WNT signaling pathway and by upregulating the expression ofWNT11. These results indicate that vitamin D repletion to prevent and/or improve cardiovascular disorders that are linked with abnormal cardiac differentiation, such as post infarction cardiac remodeling, deserve further study.

scholarly journals Mutations in Bcl9 and Pygo genes cause congenital heart defects by tissue-specific perturbation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Cantù ◽  
Anastasia Felker ◽  
Dario Zimmerli ◽  
Elena Chiavacci ◽  
Elena María Cabello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Genetic Alterations ◽  
Mouse Genetics ◽  
Canonical Wnt Signaling ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Transcriptional Deregulation ◽  
Canonical Wnt

AbstractGenetic alterations in human BCL9 genes have repeatedly been found in congenital heart disease (CHD) with as-of-yet unclear causality. BCL9 proteins and their Pygopus (Pygo) co-factors can participate in canonical Wnt signaling via binding to β-catenin. Nonetheless, their contributions to vertebrate heart development remain uncharted. Here, combining zebrafish and mouse genetics, we document tissue-specific functions in canonical Wnt signaling for BCL9 and Pygo proteins during heart development. In a CRISPR-Cas9-based genotype-phenotype association screen, we uncovered that zebrafish mutants for bcl9 and pygo genes largely retain β-catenin activity, yet develop cardiac malformations. In mouse, both systemic and lineage-specific loss of the Pygo-BCL9-β-catenin complex caused heart defects with outflow tract malformations, aberrant cardiac septation and valve formation, and compact myocardium hypoplasia. Mechanistically, these phenotypes coincide with transcriptional deregulation during heart patterning, and Pygo2 associates with β-catenin at cis-regulatory regions of cardiac genes. Taken together, our results establish BCL9 and Pygo as tissue-specific β-catenin co-factors during vertebrate heart development. Our results further implicate alterations in BCL9 and BCL9L in human CHDs as possibly causative.

scholarly journals Positive Feedback Regulation of fzd7 Expression Robustly Shapes Wnt Signaling Range in Early Heart Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayoshi Yamamoto ◽  
Yuta Kambayashi ◽  
Boni Afouda ◽  
Yuta Otsuka ◽  
Claudiu Giuraniuc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Cardiac Development ◽  
Feedback Regulation ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Concentration Dependent Manner ◽  
Local Inhibition ◽  
Regulatory Systems ◽  
Thin Region ◽  
Heart Region

Secreted molecules called morphogens govern tissue patterning in a concentration-dependent manner. However, it is still unclear how reproducible patterning can be achieved with diffusing molecules, especially when patterning differentiation of a thin region. Wnt is a morphogen that organizes cardiac development; especially Wnt6 patterns the cardiogenic mesoderm to induce differentiation of a thin pericardium in Xenopus. It is, however, unclear how Wnt6 can pattern such a thin tissue. In this study, we reveal that a Wnt receptor, frizzled7, is expressed in a Wnt-dependent manner in the prospective heart region, and that this receptor-feedback is essential for shaping a steep gradient of Wnt. In addition, the feedback imparts robustness against fluctuations of Wnt ligand production and allows the system to reach a steady state quickly. We also found a Wnt antagonist sFRP1, which is expressed at the opposite side of Wnt source, accumulates on a novel type of heparan sulfate (HS), N-acetyl-rich HS, which is highly presented in the outer of cardiogenic mesoderm, achieving local inhibition of Wnt signaling by restricting sFRP1 spreading. These two intricate regulatory systems restrict Wnt signaling and ensure reproducible patterning of a thin pericardium tissue.

scholarly journals The canonical way to make a heart: β-catenin and plakoglobin in heart development and remodeling

2017 ◽  
Vol 242 (18) ◽  
pp. 1735-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana O Piven ◽  
Cecilia L Winata
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Recent Experimental Data ◽  
Canonical Wnt Signaling ◽  
Functional Features ◽  
Canonical Wnt

The main mediator of the canonical Wnt pathway, β-catenin, is a major effector of embryonic development, postnatal tissue homeostasis, and adult tissue regeneration. The requirement for β-catenin in cardiogenesis and embryogenesis has been well established. However, many questions regarding the molecular mechanisms by which β-catenin and canonical Wnt signaling regulate these developmental processes remain unanswered. An interesting question that emerged from our studies concerns how β-catenin signaling is modulated through interaction with other factors. Recent experimental data implicate new players in canonical Wnt signaling, particularly those which modulate β-catenin function in many its biological processes, including cardiogenesis. One of the interesting candidates is plakoglobin, a little-studied member of the catenin family which shares several mechanistic and functional features with its close relative, β-catenin. Here we have focused on the function of β-catenin in cardiogenesis. We also summarize findings on plakoglobin signaling function and discuss possible interplays between β-catenin and plakoglobin in the regulation of embryonic heart development. Impact statement Heart development, function, and remodeling are complex processes orchestrated by multiple signaling networks. This review examines our current knowledge of the role of canonical Wnt signaling in cardiogenesis and heart remodeling, focusing primarily on the mechanistic action of its effector β-catenin. We summarize the generally accepted understanding of the field based on experimental in vitro and in vivo data, and address unresolved questions in the field, specifically relating to the role of canonical Wnt signaling in heart maturation and regeneration. What are the modulators of canonical Wnt, and particularly what are the potential roles of plakoglobin, a close relative of β-catenin, in regulating Wnt signaling?Answers to these questions will enhance our understanding of the mechanism by which the canonical Wnt signaling regulates development of the heart and its regeneration after damage.

The Ultrastructure of Myocardial Cells in Normal and Cardiac Lethal Mutant Mexican Axolotls, (Ambystoma Mexicanum)

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 62-63
Author(s):  
Larry F. Lemanski ◽  
Eldridge M. Bertke ◽  
J. T. Justus
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Osmium Tetroxide ◽  
Picric Acid ◽  
Ambystoma Mexicanum ◽  
Recessive Mutation ◽  
Acid Mixture ◽  
Myocardial Cells ◽  
Lethal Mutant ◽  
Mexican Axolotl

A recessive mutation has been recently described in the Mexican Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum; in which the heart forms structurally, but does not contract (Humphrey, 1968. Anat. Rec. 160:475). In this study, the fine structure of myocardial cells from normal (+/+; +/c) and cardiac lethal mutant (c/c) embryos at Harrison's stage 40 was compared. The hearts were fixed in a 0.1 M phosphate buffered formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde-picric acid-styphnic acid mixture and were post fixed in 0.1 M s-collidine buffered 1% osmium tetroxide. A detailed study of heart development in normal and mutant embryos from stages 25-46 will be described elsewhere.

Reversal of cardiomyopathy resulting from prenatal exposure to ethanol

1984 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 716-717
Author(s):  
C. Uphoff ◽  
C. Nyquist-Battie
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Ethanol Exposure ◽  
Prenatal Ethanol Exposure ◽  
Pathological Changes ◽  
Prenatally Exposed ◽  
Inner Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Newborn Mice

Fetal Alcohol Syndrone (FAS) is a syndrome with characteristic abnormalities resulting from prenatal exposure to ethanol. In many children with FAS syndrome gross pathological changes in the heart are seen with septal defects the most prevalent abnormality recorded. Few studies in animal models have been performed on the effects of ethanol on heart development. In our laboratory, it has been observed that prenatal ethanol exposure of Swiss albino mice results in abnormal cardiac muscle ultrastructure when mice were examined at birth and compared to pairfed and normal controls. Fig. 1 is an example of the changes that are seen in the ethanol-exposed animals. These changes include enlarged mitochondria with loss of inner mitochondrial membrane integrity and loss of myofibrils. Morphometric analysis substantiated the presence of these alterations from normal cardiac ultrastructure. The present work was undertaken to determine if the pathological changes seen in the newborn mice prenatally exposed to ethanol could be reversed with age and abstinence.

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