Endothelin-induced conversion of embryonic heart muscle cells into impulse-conducting Purkinje fibers.
A regular heart beat is dependent on a specialized network of pacemaking and conductive cells. There has been a longstanding controversy regarding the developmental origin of these cardiac tissues which also manifest neural-like properties. Recently, we have shown conclusively that during chicken embryogenesis, impulse-conducting Purkinje cells are recruited from myocytes in spatial association with developing coronary arteries. Here, we report that cultured embryonic myocytes convert to a Purkinje cell phenotype after exposure to the vascular cytokine, endothelin. This inductive response declined gradually during development. These results yield further evidence for a role of arteriogenesis in the induction of impulse-conducting Purkinje cells within the heart muscle lineage and also may provide a basis for tissue engineering of cardiac pacemaking and conductive cells.
Gourdie
R G
RG
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cornell University Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Wei
Y
Y
Kim
D
D
Klatt
S C
SC
Mikawa
T
T
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D016232:Endothelins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D011690:Purkinje Fibers / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
D016232:Endothelins