Identification of genes expressed during myocardial development.
OBJECTIVE
To identify genes expressed in the fetal heart that are potentially important for myocardial development and cardiomyocyte proliferation.


METHODS
mRNAs from fetal (29 weeks) and adult cardiomyocytes were use for suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Both forward (fetal as tester) and reverse (adult as driver) subtractions were performed. Clones confirmed by dot-blot analysis to be differentially expressed were sequenced and analyzed.


RESULTS
Differential expressions were detected for 39 out of 96 (41%) clones on forward subtraction and 24 out of 80 (30%) clones on reverse. For fetal dominating genes, 28 clones matched to 10 known genes (COL1A2, COL3A1, endomucin, HBG1, HBG2, PCBP2, LOC51144, TGFBI, vinculin and PND), 9 clones to 5 cDNAs of unknown functions (accession AK021715, AF085867, AB040948, AB051460 and AB051512) and 2 clones had homology to hEST sequences. For the reverse subtraction, all clones showed homology to mitochondrial transcripts.


CONCLUSIONS
We successfully applied SSH to detect those genes differentially expressed in fetal cardiac myocytes, some of which have not been shown relative to myocardial development.
Chan
Siu Yuen
SY
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. sychan@hkucc.hku.hk
Chan
Anthony Kin Wang
AK
Cheung
Becky Pik Ki
BP
Liang
Ying
Y
Leung
Maurice Ping
MP
D000368:Aged; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen; D024042:Collagen Type I; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D016596:Vinculin / Q000235:genetics
C439971:COL3A1 protein, human; D024042:Collagen Type I; D024061:Collagen Type III; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C090173:FOXG1 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C501903:PCBP2 protein, human; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D016596:Vinculin; D003094:Collagen