title: [Expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 in cardiomyocytes differentiated from mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) in cardiomyocytes differentiated from mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells).
  
  
  METHODS
  ES cells were differentiated into cardiomyocytes with hanging-drop cultures. Retinoic acid (RA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The co-expression of cardiac sarcomeric protein (α-actinin or troponin-T) and mGluR4 were verified by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry analysis. The mRNA and protein expressions of mGluR4 were verified by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. Meanwhile, the expression of mGluR4 in prenatal mouse heart was also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  mGluR4 was expressed in both mouse ES cells and ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The level of mGluR4 protein expression decreased during the maturation of the cardiomyocytes. The co-expression rate of mGluR4 and Troponin T in the beating embryoid bodies (EBs) was only (3.00 ±1.00)%. On the other hand, mGluR4 gene and protein expressions showed remarkable down-regulation in the development of mouse fetal heart, which was not detected in mouse adult heart.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of mGluR4 is down-regulated in the cardiomyocyte differentiation of ES cells. The trend of expression is consistent with that in the prenatal mouse heart development.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Li-min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qing-wei
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xing-guo
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dan-yan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C108823:metabotropic glutamate receptor 4