Contemporary cardiogenesis: new insights into heart development

Abstract

Cardiac development is a dynamic process during which progressive specification and differentiation of cardiovascular progenitor cells are intrinsically linked to complex morphogenetic events conferring function to the forming heart.1,2 Cardiogenesis initiates in the mesoderm of the anterior lateral region of the early embryo in response to inductive signals from surrounding tissues. Differentiation of the first cardiomyocytes surrounding an endocardial tube is rapidly followed by formation of a linear heart tube that subsequently elongates, loops to the right and undergoes ballooning morphogenesis to generate distinct atrial and ventricular chambers. Cardiac valve development, septation, and establishment of the coronary vasculature and conduction system follow as the heart acquires its definitive form. Defects in these processes result in a wide range of congenital heart anomalies, including major life-threatening defects such as cardiac arrhythmias and failure to separate systemic and pulmonary circulatory systems. Furthermore, the onset of certain cardiac pathologies in the adult is associated with activation of embryonic transcriptional programmes. Thus, understanding cardiac development, in particular through the study of model organisms, is crucial for both basic and translational research. This is an exciting period in the field of heart development as new molecular, genetic, and cellular approaches accelerate our understanding of the origins and diversification of different cardiac cell lineages as well as the molecular mechanisms and cellular interactions underlying normal and pathological heart development. The collection of reviews in this spotlight issue of Cardiovascular Research aims to provide a broad introduction to aspects of heart development of clinical relevance in addition to highlighting the most recent achievements, as well as the current potential and challenges, in the field of cardiac development. The first step in …