Overall, the researchers demonstrated that the cardiac neural crest cells that originate in the brain do migrate to the heart and outflow tract areas; but, unlike in normal mice, the cells with mutations did not differentiate into smooth muscle cells. As a result, the cells did not form the structure that separates the aorta from the pulmonary artery.

"This is the first evidence that a block in stem-cell differentiation is responsible for forms of congenital heart disease," says Parmacek. "Understanding how MRTF-B works will let us see how this critical junction in the development of the circulatory system regulates how tissues unfold downstream."

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Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
7-Jun-2005