Apelin and its g protein-coupled receptor regulate cardiac development as well as cardiac function.
The Apelin pathway has only recently emerged as an important regulator of cardiac and vascular function, mediating adaptation to physiological stress and disease. In this issue of Developmental Cell, experiments in zebrafish convincingly show a critical role for this pathway in myocardial cell specification and heart development.
Quertermous
Thomas
T
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. tomq1@stanford.edu
D000818:Animals; D000073861:Apelin; D000075244:Apelin Receptors; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D032386:Myoblasts, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
C115436:APLN protein, human; C104575:APLNR protein, human; D000073861:Apelin; D000075244:Apelin Receptors; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled