PUBLICATION
3D spatial organization of heterogeneous nkx2.5+ progenitors in the zebrafish heart field pre-patterns cardiovascular development
- Authors
- Coskun, H., Wang, Y., Gao, X., Chen, K., Geoffrey Burns, C., Burns, C.E.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-251126-11
- Date
- 2025
- Source
- Nature communications : (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Burns (Erter), Caroline
- Keywords
- none
- Datasets
- GEO:GSE294469, GEO:GSE294086
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Branchial Region/embryology
- Cell Movement
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Heart*/embryology
- Homeobox Protein Nkx-2.5*/genetics
- Homeobox Protein Nkx-2.5*/metabolism
- Myocardium/cytology
- Myocardium/metabolism
- Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism
- Stem Cells*/cytology
- Stem Cells*/metabolism
- Zebrafish*/embryology
- Zebrafish*/genetics
- Zebrafish*/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
- PubMed
- 41290702 Full text @ Nat. Commun.
Citation
Coskun, H., Wang, Y., Gao, X., Chen, K., Geoffrey Burns, C., Burns, C.E. (2025) 3D spatial organization of heterogeneous nkx2.5+ progenitors in the zebrafish heart field pre-patterns cardiovascular development. Nature communications. :.
Abstract
Nkx2.5+ progenitor cells are specified in the bilateral zebrafish heart field, which contributes to multiple cardiovascular derivatives. After specification, the field physically separates into a cardiac fraction that migrates to the midline to form ventricular and atrial myocardium, a pharyngeal fraction that is sequestered in the pharyngeal arches before generating head muscles, the outflow tract, and pharyngeal arch arteries, and a lateral fraction that becomes inflow atrial and pacemaker cardiomyocytes as well as pericardium. Whether these progenitors are transcriptionally distinct and regionally organized has remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the heart field is composed of heterogeneous nkx2.5+ progenitor populations that are arranged according to their migratory paths and end fates. Through prospective fate mapping and mutant analyses, we define the derivatives of each subgroup. Our data provide a 3D blueprint of heart field organization, offering insights into cardiovascular development and identifying vulnerabilities contributing to congenital heart disease.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping