The role of serum response factor in early coronary vasculogenesis

SRF: a seriously responsible factor in cardiac development and disease

The molecular mechanisms that regulate embryogenesis and cardiac development are calibrated by multiple signal transduction pathways within or between different cell lineages via autocrine or paracrine mechanisms of action. The heart is the first functional organ to form during development, which highlights the importance of this organ in later stages of growth. Knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms underlying cardiac development and adult cardiac homeostasis paves the way for discovering therapeutic possibilities for cardiac disease treatment. Serum response factor (SRF) is a major transcription factor that controls both embryonic and adult cardiac development. SRF expression is needed through the duration of development, from the first mesodermal cell in a developing embryo to the last cell damaged by infarction in the myocardium. Precise regulation of SRF expression is critical for mesoderm formation and cardiac crescent formation in the embryo, and altered SRF levels lead to cardiomyopathies in the adult heart, suggesting the vital role played by SRF in cardiac development and disease. This review provides a detailed overview of SRF and its partners in their various functions and discusses the future scope and possible therapeutic potential of SRF in the cardiovascular system.

Bioengineering strategies to control epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition for studies of cardiac development and disease

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that occurs in a wide range of tissues and environments, in response to numerous factors and conditions, and plays a critical role in development, disease, and regeneration. The process involves epithelia transitioning into a mobile state and becoming mesenchymal cells. The investigation of EMT processes has been important for understanding developmental biology and disease progression, enabling the advancement of treatment approaches for a variety of disorders such as cancer and myocardial infarction. More recently, tissue engineering efforts have also recognized the importance of controlling the EMT process. In this review, we provide an overview of the EMT process and the signaling pathways and factors that control it, followed by a discussion of bioengineering strategies to control EMT. Important biological, biomaterial, biochemical, and physical factors and properties that have been utilized to control EMT are described, as well as the studies that have investigated the modulation of EMT in tissue engineering and regenerative approaches in vivo, with a specific focus on the heart. Novel tools that can be used to characterize and assess EMT are discussed and finally, we close with a perspective on new bioengineering methods that have the potential to transform our ability to control EMT, ultimately leading to new therapies.