ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF in cardiogenesis and cardiac progenitor cell development

Abstract

The recent identification of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) provides a new paradigm for studying and treating heart disease. To realize the full potential of CPCs for therapeutic purposes, it is essential to understand the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms guiding CPC differentiation into cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle, or endothelial cells. ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers mediate one critical epigenetic mechanism. These large multiprotein complexes open up chromatin to modulate transcription factor access to DNA. SWI/SNF, one of the major types of chromatin remodelers, plays a key role in various aspects of development (de la Serna et al., 2006; Wu et al., 2009), including heart development and disease (Lickert et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2004; Huang et al., 2008; Stankunas et al., 2008; Hang et al., 2010). In this review, we describe the specific function of various SWI/SNF components in cardiogenesis and cardiac progenitor cell (CPC) self-renewal and differentiation. We envision that a detailed understanding of the SWI/SNF in heart development and CPC formation and differentiation will generate novel insights into epigenetic mechanisms that govern CPC differentiation and may have significant implications in understanding and treating heart disease.