title: Wnt signaling regulates atrioventricular canal formation upstream of BMP and Tbx2.
abstract: In the developing heart, the atrioventricular canal (AVC) is essential for separation and alignment of the cardiac chambers, for valve formation, and serves to delay the electrical impulse from the atria to the ventricles. Defects in various aspects of its formation are the most common form of congenital heart defects. Using mutant and transgenic approaches in zebrafish, this study demonstrates that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is both sufficient and required for the induction of BMP4 and Tbx2b expression in the AVC and consequently the proper patterning of the myocardium. Furthermore, genetic analysis shows that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is upstream and in a linear pathway with BMP and Tbx2 during AVC specification.
authors.affiliation: Hubrecht Institute, KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Manon C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haase
authors.forename: Vincent M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Christoffels
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weidinger
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bakkers
mesh_terms: D030201:Activin Receptors, Type I; D000818:Animals; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000196:embryology; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000196:embryology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; C097348:T-Box Domain Protein 2; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C525813:bmp4 protein, zebrafish; D030201:Activin Receptors, Type I; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors; C424203:acvr1l protein, zebrafish