Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intradural extramedullary cavernous malformation: A common lesion in an uncommon location.

Radiology case reports·2026
Same author

In vivo single-cell RNA metabolic labeling resolves early transcriptional responders in the regenerating zebrafish heart.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Generation of a prop1 knock-in zebrafish enables single-cell transcriptomics of early pituitary development.

Endocrinology·2026
Same author

Two distinct modes of Vgll4-mediated Tead regulation control organ size in zebrafish.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Piezo1-mediated mechanohydraulic control of cell volume drives cardiac morphogenesis.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Time-resolved single-cell transcriptomics maps zebrafish heart development.

Cell reports·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Displacement Analysis of Myocardial Mechanical Deformation (DIAMOND) Reveals Segmental Heterogeneity of Cardiac Function in Embryonic Zebrafish
09:15

Displacement Analysis of Myocardial Mechanical Deformation (DIAMOND) Reveals Segmental Heterogeneity of Cardiac Function in Embryonic Zebrafish

Published on: February 6, 2020

Early myocardial function affects endocardial cushion development in zebrafish.

Thomas Bartman1, Emily C Walsh, Kuo-Kuang Wen

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.

Plos Biology
|May 13, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Early heart function is crucial for proper cardiac development. Studies show that myocardial function, not blood flow, is essential for forming endocardial cushions, vital for preventing congenital heart disease.

More Related Videos

High-Frequency Ultrasound Echocardiography to Assess Zebrafish Cardiac Function
08:34

High-Frequency Ultrasound Echocardiography to Assess Zebrafish Cardiac Function

Published on: March 12, 2020

Functional Cardiac Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos Using Standard Microscopy and Video Analysis: Applications in Environmental and Biomedical Research
04:11

Functional Cardiac Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos Using Standard Microscopy and Video Analysis: Applications in Environmental and Biomedical Research

Published on: October 10, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Displacement Analysis of Myocardial Mechanical Deformation (DIAMOND) Reveals Segmental Heterogeneity of Cardiac Function in Embryonic Zebrafish
09:15

Displacement Analysis of Myocardial Mechanical Deformation (DIAMOND) Reveals Segmental Heterogeneity of Cardiac Function in Embryonic Zebrafish

Published on: February 6, 2020

High-Frequency Ultrasound Echocardiography to Assess Zebrafish Cardiac Function
08:34

High-Frequency Ultrasound Echocardiography to Assess Zebrafish Cardiac Function

Published on: March 12, 2020

Functional Cardiac Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos Using Standard Microscopy and Video Analysis: Applications in Environmental and Biomedical Research
04:11

Functional Cardiac Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos Using Standard Microscopy and Video Analysis: Applications in Environmental and Biomedical Research

Published on: October 10, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Research
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Myocardial function's role in early heart development is understood, but its necessity for later stages like endocardial cushion (EC) formation remains unclear.
  • Previous studies in mouse and zebrafish established that myocardial function isn't required for initial heart tube formation or chamber specification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether myocardial function is essential for endocardial cushion (EC) formation during cardiac development.
  • To explore the impact of genetic and pharmacological disruptions of myocardial function on EC development in zebrafish.

Main Methods:

  • Examined zebrafish embryos with mutations affecting heart function (tnnt2, cfk) and analyzed EC formation.
  • Utilized positional cloning to identify the gene responsible for the cfk mutation.
  • Employed pharmacological approaches to differentiate the effects of reduced myocardial function versus blood flow.

Main Results:

  • Embryos lacking a heartbeat (sih(-/-)) and those with cardiac dilation and no blood flow (cfk(-/-)) failed to form atrioventricular (AV) ECs.
  • The cfk gene encodes a novel sarcomeric actin, and a specific mutation (R177H) impaired actin polymerization.
  • Pharmacological evidence indicated that reduced myocardial function, rather than lack of blood flow, primarily caused the defective cushion development.

Conclusions:

  • Early embryonic myocardial function is a prerequisite for later organogenesis stages, including EC formation.
  • Myocardial function, not endothelial shear stress, appears to be the key epigenetic regulator of late heart development.
  • Mutations affecting embryonic myocardial function may underlie structural congenital heart disease in humans.