Patterns of expression of the Follistatin and Follistatin-like1 genes during chicken heart development: a potential role in valvulogenesis and late heart muscle cell formation.

The regulation of concentration and function of growth factors is of crucial importance to proper embryonic development of the heart. The patterns of expression of three extracellular modulators of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of growth factors, Follistatin, Follistatin-like1, and Follistatin-like3, are described with respect to heart development. Follistatin is highly localized in the endocardium covering the developing cardiac valves.

Atrial and ventricular myosin heavy-chain expression in the developing chicken heart: strengths and limitations of non-radioactive in situ hybridization.

Myosin heavy-chain (MHC) isoforms are major structural components of the contractile apparatus of the heart muscle. Their spatio-temporal patterns of expression have been used as a tool to dissect cardiac development and differentiation. Although extensively investigated, controversy still exists concerning the expression patterns of atrial (AMHC), ventricular (VMHC), and cardiac myosin heavy-chain (CMHC) during development in the heart.

Dynamic patterns of expression of BMP isoforms 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 during chicken heart development.

Bone morphogentic proteins (BMPs) play an important role in cardiac development. Using an in vitro explant analysis, we show that BMPs are crucial for myocardium formation. As a first approach to identify which BMP may be involved in myocardium formation in intra- and extracardiac mesenchyme in vivo, a survey of the expression patterns of BMP2, -4, -5, -6, and -7 mRNA is prepared by in situ hybridization in chicken embryonic hearts from HH5 to 44.

Expression of bone morphogenetic protein-10 mRNA during chicken heart development.

In this communication we describe the expression pattern of BMP10 mRNA during cardiac development in chickens. BMP10 is considered an important factor in the regulation of cardiac growth and trabeculation in the murine embryo. We identified chicken Ests, which are similar to mouse and human BMP10 in the UMIST database.

Expression of cVg1 mRNA during chicken embryonic development.

Using degenerated PCR-primers to identify known and novel BMPs that are expressed in the developing chicken heart, we identified not only BMP2, -4, and -7 mRNA, but also the TGFbeta superfamily member cVg1. The expression pattern of cVg1 mRNA was determined during chicken development from HH4 to HH44. In early developmental stages, cVg1 mRNA is expressed in the primitive streak, paraxial mesoderm, developing somites, and developing neural tube.