Embryonic Heart Progenitors and Cardiogenesis
- Thomas Brade1,5,
- Luna S. Pane1,5,
- Alessandra Moretti1,2,
- Kenneth R. Chien3,4 and
- Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz1,2
- 1Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, I. Medical Department, Cardiology, 81675 Munich, Germany
- 2DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
- 3Karolinska Institutet, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Medicine, Berzelius Vag, Stockholm, Sweden
- 4Harvard University, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
- Correspondence: thomasbrade{at}gmx.de
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↵5 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
The mammalian heart is a highly specialized organ, comprised of many different cell types arising from distinct embryonic progenitor populations during cardiogenesis. Three precursor populations have been identified to contribute to different myocytic and nonmyocytic cell lineages of the heart: cardiogenic mesoderm cells (CMC), the proepicardium (PE), and cardiac neural crest cells (CNCCs). This review will focus on molecular cues necessary for proper induction, expansion, and lineage-specific differentiation of these progenitor populations during cardiac development in vivo. Moreover, we will briefly discuss how the knowledge gained on embryonic heart progenitor biology can be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies for the management of congenital heart disease as well as for improvement of cardiac function in ischemic heart disease.
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