title: Early steps in vertebrate cardiogenesis.
abstract: Heart formation provides an excellent model for studying the molecular basis of cell determination in vertebrate embryos. By combining molecular assays with the experimental approaches of classic embryology, a model for the cell signalling events that initiate cardiogenesis is emerging. Studies of chick, amphibian, and fish embryos demonstrate the inductive role of dorso-anterior endoderm in specifying the cardiac fate of adjacent mesoderm. A consequence of this signalling is the onset of cardiomyogenesis and several transcription factors--Nkx2-5-related, HAND, GATA and MEF-2 families--contribute to these events.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Medical Research, Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, UK. t-mohun@nimr.mrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mohun
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sparrow
mesh_terms: D000663:Amphibians; D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002645:Chickens; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D004707:Endoderm / Q000502:physiology; D005399:Fishes; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000502:physiology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors