Multipotent Islet-1 Cardiovascular Progenitorsin Development and Disease

摘要

During the past several years, advances at the intersection of cardiovascular development and heart stem cell biology havebegun to reshape our view of the fundamental logic that drives the formation of discrete tissue components in the mammalianheart. Although many of the critical genes that control cardiac myogenesis have been identified, our understanding of how ahighly diverse and specialized subset of heart cell lineages arises from mesodermal precursors and is subsequently assembledinto distinct muscle chambers, coronary arterial tree and large vessels, valvular tissue, and conduction system/pacemaker cellsremains at a relatively primitive stage. Recent studies have uncovered a diverse group of closely related heart progenitors thatare central in controlling and coordinating these complex steps of cardiogenesis. Understanding the pathways that control theirformation, renewal, and subsequent conversion to specific differentiated progeny forms the underpinning for unraveling thepathways for congenital heart disease and has direct relevance to cardiovascular regenerative medicine. This current briefreview highlights the discovery and delineation of the role of Islet-1 cardiovascular progenitors in the generation of diverseheart cell lineages and how the implications of these findings are revising our classification and thinking about congenitalheart disease in general.