Small molecules that induce cardiomyogenesis in embryonic stem cells

A phenotypic cell-based screen of a large combinatorial chemical library led to the identification of a class of diaminopyrimidine compounds (cardiogenol A-D) which can selectively and efficiently induce mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. ESC-derived cardiomyocytes were shown to express multiple cardiac muscle markers, including myosin heavy chain, GATA-4, MEF2, and Nkx2.5, and spontaneously form beating regions. Such small molecules will serve as useful chemical probes to study cardiac muscle differentiation and may ultimately facilitate the therapeutic application of ESCs for cardiac repair.