Oriented clonal cell growth in the developing mouse myocardium underlies cardiac morphogenesis.
During heart morphogenesis, cardiac chambers arise by differential expansion of regions of the primitive cardiac tube. This process is under the control of specific transcription factors such as Tbx5 and dHAND. To gain insight into the cellular mechanisms that underlie cardiogenesis, we have used a retrospective clonal approach based on the spontaneous recombination of an nlaacZ reporter gene targeted to the murine alpha-cardiac actin locus. We show that clonal growth of myocardial cells is oriented. At embryonic day (E) 10.5, the shape of clones is characteristic of a given cardiac region and reflects its morphology. This is already detectable in the primitive cardiac tube at E8.5, and is maintained after septation at E14.5 with additional modulations. The clonal analysis reveals new subdivisions of the myocardium, including an interventricular boundary region. Our results show that the myocardium, from the time of its formation, is a polarized and regionalized tissue and point to the role of oriented clonal cell growth in cardiac chamber morphogenesis.
Meilhac
Sigolène M
SM
Département de Biologie du Développement, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue de Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Esner
Milan
M
Kerszberg
Michel
M
Moss
Julie E
JE
Buckingham
Margaret E
ME
D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000235:genetics*; D048429:Cell Size / Q000235:genetics; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000196:embryology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000196:embryology; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016276:Ventricular Function
D000199:Actins