Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-12-25
pubmed:abstractText
Accumulated evidence has suggested that BMP pathways play critical roles during mammalian cardiogenesis and impairment of BMP signaling may contribute to human congenital heart diseases (CHDs), which are the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Alk3 encodes a BMP specific type I receptor expressed in mouse embryonic hearts. To reveal functions of Alk3 during atrioventricular (AV) cushion morphogenesis and to overcome the early lethality of Alk3(-/-) embryos, we applied a Cre/loxp approach to specifically inactivate Alk3 in the endothelium/endocardium. Our studies showed that endocardial depletion of Alk3 severely impairs epithelium-mesenchymal-transformation (EMT) in the atrioventricular canal (AVC) region; the number of mesenchymal cells formed in Tie1-Cre;Alk3(loxp/loxp) embryos was reduced to only approximately 20% of the normal level from both in vivo section studies and in vitro explant assays. We showed, for the first time, that in addition to its functions on mesenchyme formation, Alk3 is also required for the normal growth/survival of AV cushion mesenchymal cells. Functions of Alk3 are accomplished through regulating expression/activation/subcellular localization of multiple downstream genes including Smads and cell-cycle regulators. Taken together, our study supports the notion that Alk3-mediated BMP signaling in AV endocardial/mesenchymal cells plays a central role during cushion morphogenesis.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0012-1606
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
301
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
276-86
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-11-19
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Essential functions of Alk3 during AV cushion morphogenesis in mouse embryonic hearts.
pubmed:affiliation
Division of Genetic and Translational Medicine, Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural