Stem cell models of cardiac development and disease.
The past few years have witnessed remarkable advances in stem cell biology and human genetics, and we have arrived at an era in which patient-specific cell and tissue models are now practical. The recent identification of cardiovascular progenitor cells, as well as the identification of genetic variants underlying congenital heart disorders and adult disease, opens the door to the development of human models of human cardiovascular disease. We review the current understanding of the contribution of progenitor cells to cardiogenesis and outline how pluripotent stem cells can be applied to the modeling of cardiovascular disorders of genetic origin. A key challenge will be to implement these models in an efficient manner to develop a molecular understanding of how genes lead to disease and to screen for genes and drugs that modify the disease process.
Musunuru
Kiran
K
Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Domian
Ibrahim J
IJ
Chien
Kenneth R
KR
D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells; D014157:Transcription Factors
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C063843:insulin gene enhancer binding protein Isl-1