Letter by Anderson et al Regarding Article, “Abnormal Conduction and Morphology in the Atrioventricular Node of Mice With Atrioventricular Canal–Targeted Deletion of Alk3/Bmpr1a Receptor”

Abstract

To the Editor: The embryonic origin of the cardiac conduction system and the transcription factors involved are an important and emerging field of research.1,2 We read with interest, therefore, the article by Stroud and colleagues, in which they describe important findings on the role of bone morphogenetic proteins in the formation of the atrioventricular conduction axis.3 Much of their argument rests on the histology of the atrioventricular conduction axis. In our opinion, their identification of the various nodal structures is incorrect. Just over 100 years ago, Sunao Tawara described in exquisite …