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Yang P, Zhu L, Wang S, Gong J, Selvaraj JN, Ye L, Chen H, Zhang Y, Wang G, Song W, Li Z, Cai L, Zhang H, Zhang D. Engineered model of heart tissue repair for exploring fibrotic processes and therapeutic interventions. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7996. [PMID: 39266508 PMCID: PMC11393355 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52221-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Advancements in human-engineered heart tissue have enhanced the understanding of cardiac cellular alteration. Nevertheless, a human model simulating pathological remodeling following myocardial infarction for therapeutic development remains essential. Here we develop an engineered model of myocardial repair that replicates the phased remodeling process, including hypoxic stress, fibrosis, and electrophysiological dysfunction. Transcriptomic analysis identifies nine critical signaling pathways related to cellular fate transitions, leading to the evaluation of seventeen modulators for their therapeutic potential in a mini-repair model. A scoring system quantitatively evaluates the restoration of abnormal electrophysiology, demonstrating that the phased combination of TGFβ inhibitor SB431542, Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632, and WNT activator CHIR99021 yields enhanced functional restoration compared to single factor treatments in both engineered and mouse myocardial infarction model. This engineered heart tissue repair model effectively captures the phased remodeling following myocardial infarction, providing a crucial platform for discovering therapeutic targets for ischemic heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lihang Zhu
- Department of Biological Repositories, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shiya Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jixing Gong
- Center of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Jonathan Nimal Selvaraj
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lincai Ye
- Shanghai Institute for Congenital Heart Diseases, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Hanxiao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yaoyao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Gongxin Wang
- Henan SCOPE Research Institute of Electrophysiology Co. Ltd., Kaifeng, China
| | - Wanjun Song
- Beijing Geek Gene Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Zilong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lin Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Hao Zhang
- Shanghai Institute for Congenital Heart Diseases, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Donghui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China.
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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2
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Martin KE, Ravisankar P, Beerens M, MacRae CA, Waxman JS. Nr2f1a maintains atrial nkx2.5 expression to repress pacemaker identity within venous atrial cardiomyocytes of zebrafish. eLife 2023; 12:e77408. [PMID: 37184369 PMCID: PMC10185342 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of cardiomyocyte identity is vital for normal heart development and function. However, our understanding of cardiomyocyte plasticity remains incomplete. Here, we show that sustained expression of the zebrafish transcription factor Nr2f1a prevents the progressive acquisition of ventricular cardiomyocyte (VC) and pacemaker cardiomyocyte (PC) identities within distinct regions of the atrium. Transcriptomic analysis of flow-sorted atrial cardiomyocytes (ACs) from nr2f1a mutant zebrafish embryos showed increased VC marker gene expression and altered expression of core PC regulatory genes, including decreased expression of nkx2.5, a critical repressor of PC differentiation. At the arterial (outflow) pole of the atrium in nr2f1a mutants, cardiomyocytes resolve to VC identity within the expanded atrioventricular canal. However, at the venous (inflow) pole of the atrium, there is a progressive wave of AC transdifferentiation into PCs across the atrium toward the arterial pole. Restoring Nkx2.5 is sufficient to repress PC marker identity in nr2f1a mutant atria and analysis of chromatin accessibility identified an Nr2f1a-dependent nkx2.5 enhancer expressed in the atrial myocardium directly adjacent to PCs. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of the putative nkx2.5 enhancer leads to a loss of Nkx2.5-expressing ACs and expansion of a PC reporter, supporting that Nr2f1a limits PC differentiation within venous ACs via maintaining nkx2.5 expression. The Nr2f-dependent maintenance of AC identity within discrete atrial compartments may provide insights into the molecular etiology of concurrent structural congenital heart defects and associated arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall E Martin
- Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
- Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Padmapriyadarshini Ravisankar
- Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Manu Beerens
- Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine, Genetics and Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Calum A MacRae
- Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine, Genetics and Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Joshua S Waxman
- Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
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3
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Gonzalez DM, Schrode N, Ebrahim TAM, Broguiere N, Rossi G, Drakhlis L, Zweigerdt R, Lutolf MP, Beaumont KG, Sebra R, Dubois NC. Dissecting mechanisms of chamber-specific cardiac differentiation and its perturbation following retinoic acid exposure. Development 2022; 149:275658. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The specification of distinct cardiac lineages occurs before chamber formation and acquisition of bona fide atrial or ventricular identity. However, the mechanisms underlying these early specification events remain poorly understood. Here, we performed single cell analysis at the murine cardiac crescent, primitive heart tube and heart tube stages to uncover the transcriptional mechanisms underlying formation of atrial and ventricular cells. We find that progression towards differentiated cardiomyocytes occurs primarily based on heart field progenitor identity, and that progenitors contribute to ventricular or atrial identity through distinct differentiation mechanisms. We identify new candidate markers that define such differentiation processes and examine their expression dynamics using computational lineage trajectory methods. We further show that exposure to exogenous retinoic acid causes defects in ventricular chamber size, dysregulation in FGF signaling and a shunt in differentiation towards orthogonal lineages. Retinoic acid also causes defects in cell-cycle exit resulting in formation of hypomorphic ventricles. Collectively, our data identify, at a single cell level, distinct lineage trajectories during cardiac specification and differentiation, and the precise effects of manipulating cardiac progenitor patterning via retinoic acid signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Gonzalez
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 1 Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 3 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 4 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
| | - Nadine Schrode
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 5 Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
| | - Tasneem A. M. Ebrahim
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 1 Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 3 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 4 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
| | - Nicolas Broguiere
- School of Life Sciences, EPFL 6 Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering , , Lausanne CH-1015 , Switzerland
| | - Giuliana Rossi
- School of Life Sciences, EPFL 6 Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering , , Lausanne CH-1015 , Switzerland
| | - Lika Drakhlis
- Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering 7 , Roche Pharma Research and Early Development , Basel 4052 , Switzerland
| | - Robert Zweigerdt
- Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering 7 , Roche Pharma Research and Early Development , Basel 4052 , Switzerland
| | - Matthias P. Lutolf
- School of Life Sciences, EPFL 6 Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering , , Lausanne CH-1015 , Switzerland
- Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering 7 , Roche Pharma Research and Early Development , Basel 4052 , Switzerland
| | - Kristin G. Beaumont
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 5 Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO) 8 , Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery (HTTG) , , Hannover , Germany
- REBIRTH–Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School 8 , Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery (HTTG) , , Hannover , Germany
| | - Robert Sebra
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 3 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 5 Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Sema4, a Mount Sinai venture 9 , Stamford, CT 06902 , USA
| | - Nicole C. Dubois
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 1 Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology , , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 3 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 4 , New York, NY 10029 , USA
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4
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Identifying the Potential Roles of PBX4 in Human Cancers Based on Integrative Analysis. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12060822. [PMID: 35740947 PMCID: PMC9221482 DOI: 10.3390/biom12060822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
PBX4 belongs to the pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox (PBX) transcription factors family and acts as a transcriptional cofactor of HOX proteins participating in several pathophysiological processes. Recent studies have revealed that the dysregulation of PBX4 is closely related to multiple diseases, especially cancers. However, the research on PBX4’s potential roles in 33 cancers from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is still insufficient. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis to explore the roles of PBX4with multiple public databases. Our results showed that PBX4 was differentially expressed in 17 types of human cancer and significantly correlated to the pathological stage, tumor grade, and immune and molecular subtypes. We used the Kaplan–Meier plotter and PrognoScan databases to find the significant associations between PBX4 expression and prognostic values of multiple cancers. It was also found that PBX4 expression was statistically related to mutation status, DNA methylation, immune infiltration, drug sensitivity, and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Additionally, we found that PBX4 was involved in different functional states of multiple cancers from the single-cell resolution perspective. Enrichment analysis results showed that PBX4-related genes were enriched in the cell cycle process, MAPK cascade, ncRNA metabolic process, positive regulation of GTPase activity, and regulation of lipase activity and mainly participated in the pathways of cholesterol metabolism, base excision repair, herpes simplex virus 1 infection, transcriptional misregulation in cancer, and Epstein–Barr virus infection. Altogether, our integrative analysis could help in better understanding the potential roles of PBX4 in different human cancers.
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5
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Wang M, Gu M, Liu L, Liu Y, Tian L. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq) in Cardiac Tissue: Applications and Limitations. Vasc Health Risk Manag 2021; 17:641-657. [PMID: 34629873 PMCID: PMC8495612 DOI: 10.2147/vhrm.s288090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the blood vessels and heart, which are considered as the leading causes of death worldwide. The pathology of CVDs could be related to the functional abnormalities of multiple cell types in the heart. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology is a powerful method for characterizing individual cells and elucidating the molecular mechanisms by providing a high resolution of transcriptomic changes at the single-cell level. Specifically, scRNA-seq has provided novel insights into CVDs by identifying rare cardiac cell types, inferring the trajectory tree, estimating RNA velocity, elucidating the cell-cell communication, and comparing healthy and pathological heart samples. In this review, we summarize the different scRNA-seq platforms and published single-cell datasets in the cardiovascular field, and describe the utilities and limitations of this technology. Lastly, we discuss the future perspective of the application of scRNA-seq technology into cardiovascular research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqiang Wang
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Mingxia Gu
- Perinatal Institute, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, CuSTOM, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Ling Liu
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lei Tian
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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6
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Ex uno, plures-From One Tissue to Many Cells: A Review of Single-Cell Transcriptomics in Cardiovascular Biology. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22042071. [PMID: 33669808 PMCID: PMC7922347 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22042071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technological advances have revolutionized the study of tissue biology and garnered a greater appreciation for tissue complexity. In order to understand cardiac development, heart tissue homeostasis, and the effects of stress and injury on the cardiovascular system, it is essential to characterize the heart at high cellular resolution. Single-cell profiling provides a more precise definition of tissue composition, cell differentiation trajectories, and intercellular communication, compared to classical bulk approaches. Here, we aim to review how recent single-cell multi-omic studies have changed our understanding of cell dynamics during cardiac development, and in the healthy and diseased adult myocardium.
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7
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Duong TB, Holowiecki A, Waxman JS. Retinoic acid signaling restricts the size of the first heart field within the anterior lateral plate mesoderm. Dev Biol 2021; 473:119-129. [PMID: 33607112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) signaling is required to restrict heart size through limiting the posterior boundary of the vertebrate cardiac progenitor field within the anterior lateral plate mesoderm (ALPM). However, we still do not fully understand how different cardiac progenitor populations that contribute to the developing heart, including earlier-differentiating first heart field (FHF), later-differentiating second heart field (SHF), and neural crest-derived progenitors, are each affected in RA-deficient embryos. Here, we quantified the number of cardiac progenitors and differentiating cardiomyocytes (CMs) in RA-deficient zebrafish embryos. While Nkx2.5+ cells were increased overall in the nascent hearts of RA-deficient embryos, unexpectedly, we found that the major effect within this population was a significant expansion in the number of differentiating FHF CMs. In contrast to the expansion of the FHF, there was a progressive decrease in SHF progenitors at the arterial pole as the heart tube elongated. Temporal differentiation assays and immunostaining in RA-deficient embryos showed that the outflow tracts (OFTs) of the hearts were significantly smaller, containing fewer differentiated SHF-derived ventricular CMs and a complete absence of SHF-derived smooth muscle at later stages. At the venous pole of the heart, pacemaker cells of the sinoatrial node also failed to differentiate in RA-deficient embryos. Interestingly, genetic lineage tracing showed that the number of neural-crest derived CMs was not altered within the enlarged hearts of RA-deficient zebrafish embryos. Altogether, our data show that the enlarged hearts in RA-deficient zebrafish embryos are comprised of an expansion in earlier differentiating FHF-derived CMs coupled with a progressive depletion of the SHF, suggesting RA signaling determines the relative ratios of earlier- and later-differentiation cardiac progenitors within an expanded cardiac progenitor pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany B Duong
- Molecular Genetics Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Andrew Holowiecki
- Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Joshua S Waxman
- Molecular Cardiovascular Biology Division and Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Kemmler CL, Riemslagh FW, Moran HR, Mosimann C. From Stripes to a Beating Heart: Early Cardiac Development in Zebrafish. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:17. [PMID: 33578943 PMCID: PMC7916704 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8020017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart is the first functional organ to form during vertebrate development. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of human birth defect, many originating as anomalies in early heart development. The zebrafish model provides an accessible vertebrate system to study early heart morphogenesis and to gain new insights into the mechanisms of congenital disease. Although composed of only two chambers compared with the four-chambered mammalian heart, the zebrafish heart integrates the core processes and cellular lineages central to cardiac development across vertebrates. The rapid, translucent development of zebrafish is amenable to in vivo imaging and genetic lineage tracing techniques, providing versatile tools to study heart field migration and myocardial progenitor addition and differentiation. Combining transgenic reporters with rapid genome engineering via CRISPR-Cas9 allows for functional testing of candidate genes associated with congenital heart defects and the discovery of molecular causes leading to observed phenotypes. Here, we summarize key insights gained through zebrafish studies into the early patterning of uncommitted lateral plate mesoderm into cardiac progenitors and their regulation. We review the central genetic mechanisms, available tools, and approaches for modeling congenital heart anomalies in the zebrafish as a representative vertebrate model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Christian Mosimann
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (C.L.K.); (F.W.R.); (H.R.M.)
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Warkala M, Chen D, Ramirez A, Jubran A, Schonning M, Wang X, Zhao H, Astrof S. Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions Play Multiple Essential Roles in Aortic Arch Development. Circ Res 2021; 128:e27-e44. [PMID: 33249995 PMCID: PMC7864893 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.120.318200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Defects in the morphogenesis of the fourth pharyngeal arch arteries (PAAs) give rise to lethal birth defects. Understanding genes and mechanisms regulating PAA formation will provide important insights into the etiology and treatments for congenital heart disease. OBJECTIVE Cell-ECM (extracellular matrix) interactions play essential roles in the morphogenesis of PAAs and their derivatives, the aortic arch artery and its major branches; however, their specific functions are not well-understood. Previously, we demonstrated that integrin α5β1 and Fn1 (fibronectin) expressed in the Isl1 lineages regulate PAA formation. The objective of the current studies was to investigate cellular mechanisms by which integrin α5β1 and Fn1 regulate aortic arch artery morphogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS Using temporal lineage tracing, whole-mount confocal imaging, and quantitative analysis of the second heart field (SHF) and endothelial cell (EC) dynamics, we show that the majority of PAA EC progenitors arise by E7.5 in the SHF and contribute to pharyngeal arch endothelium between E7.5 and E9.5. Consequently, SHF-derived ECs in the pharyngeal arches form a plexus of small blood vessels, which remodels into the PAAs by 35 somites. The remodeling of the vascular plexus is orchestrated by signals dependent on the pharyngeal ECM microenvironment, extrinsic to the endothelium. Conditional ablation of integrin α5β1 or Fn1 in the Isl1 lineages showed that signaling by the ECM regulates aortic arch artery morphogenesis at multiple steps: (1) accumulation of SHF-derived ECs in the pharyngeal arches, (2) remodeling of the EC plexus in the fourth arches into the PAAs, and (3) differentiation of neural crest-derived cells adjacent to the PAA endothelium into vascular smooth muscle cells. CONCLUSIONS PAA formation is a multistep process entailing dynamic contribution of SHF-derived ECs to pharyngeal arches, the remodeling of endothelial plexus into the PAAs, and the remodeling of the PAAs into the aortic arch artery and its major branches. Cell-ECM interactions regulated by integrin α5β1 and Fn1 play essential roles at each of these developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Warkala
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
- Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences: Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Cancer Track, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Dongying Chen
- Graduate Program in Cell & Developmental Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - AnnJosette Ramirez
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
- Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences: Cell Biology, Neuroscience and Physiology Track, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Ali Jubran
- Graduate Program in Cell & Developmental Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael Schonning
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
- Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences: Cell Biology, Neuroscience and Physiology Track, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
| | | | - Huaning Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Sophie Astrof
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
- Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences: Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Cancer Track, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
- Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences: Cell Biology, Neuroscience and Physiology Track, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA
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