This proposal seeks to determine the role of the secondary heart field in the morphogenesis of the outflow tract during cardiogenesis in the mouse.
The specific aims are 1) To establish the basal proliferation and apoptosis rates in different areas of the outflow tract and secondary heart field during normal mouse development. 2) To establish the fate of labeled cells that originate in the secondary heart field in a mouse model in which there is loss of Fgf8 activity in the secondary heart field. 3) To determine the effect that loss of FGF8 signal in the secondary heart field derived outflow tract cells has on apoptosis and proliferation rates in the outflow tract. We hypothesize that the secondary heart field cells have a unique and previously unrecognized role in the morphogenesis of the outflow tract. The fates of cells derived from the secondary heart field during normal heart development will be determined and compared with those in a model of conotruncal defects. This will help elucidate the role of the secondary heart field in the remodeling and septation of the outflow tract. ? ?
| Porras, Diego; Brown, Christopher B (2008) Temporal-spatial ablation of neural crest in the mouse results in cardiovascular defects. Dev Dyn 237:153-62 |
