Development of the cardiac conduction system in zebrafish
File(s)Development of the CCSin ZF.pdf (8.42 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Poon, KL
Liebling, M
Kondrychyn, I
Brand, T
Korzh, V
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The cardiac conduction system (CCS) propagates and coordinates the electrical excitation that originates from the pacemaker cells, throughout the heart, resulting in rhythmic heartbeat. Its defects result in life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Understanding of the factors involved in the formation and function of the CCS remains incomplete. By transposon assisted transgenesis, we have developed enhancer trap (ET) lines of zebrafish that express fluorescent protein in the pacemaker cells at the sino-atrial node (SAN) and the atrio-ventricular region (AVR), termed CCS transgenics. This expression pattern begins at the stage when the heart undergoes looping morphogenesis at 36 h post fertilization (hpf) and is maintained into adulthood. Using the CCS transgenics, we investigated the effects of perturbation of cardiac function, as simulated by either the absence of endothelium or hemodynamic stimulation, on the cardiac conduction cells, which resulted in abnormal compaction of the SAN. To uncover the identity of the gene represented by the EGFP expression in the CCS transgenics, we mapped the transposon integration sites on the zebrafish genome to positions in close proximity to the gene encoding fibroblast growth homologous factor 2a (fhf2a). Fhf2a is represented by three transcripts, one of which is expressed in the developing heart. These transgenics are useful tools for studies of development of the CCS and cardiac disease.
Date Issued
2016-09-01
Date Acceptance
2016-08-28
Citation
Gene Expression Patterns, 2016, 21 (2), pp.89-96
ISSN
1872-7298
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
89
End Page
96
Journal / Book Title
Gene Expression Patterns
Volume
21
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
The Magdi Yacoub Institute
The Magdi Yacoub Institute
The Magdi Yacoub Institute
Grant Number
HSC250/09
HSC252/09
HSC293/12
Subjects
Atrio-ventricular canal
Cardiac conduction system
Fhf2a
Sino-atrial node
Developmental Biology
Genetics
Clinical Sciences
Publication Status
Published