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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Generation and Expansion of Human Cardiomyocytes from Patient Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Published on: February 12, 2021
The expanding role for retinoid signaling in heart development
Loretta L Hoover1, Elizabeth G Burton, Bonnie A Brooks
1Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cardiovascular Developmental Biology Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. hooverll@musc.edu
Abstract:
The importance of retinoid signaling during cardiac development has long been appreciated, but recently has become a rapidly expanding field of research. Experiments performed over 50 years ago showed that too much or too little maternal intake of vitamin A proved detrimental for embryos, resulting in a cadre of predictable cardiac developmental defects. Germline and conditional knockout mice have revealed which molecular players in the vitamin A signaling cascade are potentially responsible for regulating specific developmental events, and many of these molecules have been temporally and spatially characterized. It is evident that intact and controlled retinoid signaling is necessary for each stage of cardiac development to proceed normally, including cardiac lineage determination, heart tube formation, looping, epicardium formation, ventricular maturation, chamber and outflow tract septation, and coronary arteriogenesis. This review summarizes many of the significant milestones in this field and particular attention is given to recently uncovered cross-talk between retinoid signaling and other developmentally significant pathways. It is our hope that this review of the role of retinoid signaling during formation, remodeling, and maturation of the developing heart will serve as a tool for future discoveries.
Insights
Retinoid signaling is crucial for normal heart development. This review details how vitamin A pathways impact embryonic heart formation, remodeling, and maturation, highlighting key molecular players and interactions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Vitamin A (retinoid) signaling is essential for embryonic development.
- Maternal vitamin A levels critically influence embryonic outcomes, including cardiac defects.
- Recent research has expanded understanding of retinoid's role in cardiac development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the significant milestones in retinoid signaling research during cardiac development.
- To highlight the molecular players and their temporal/spatial roles.
- To discuss the interplay between retinoid signaling and other developmental pathways.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical experiments on vitamin A deficiency/excess in embryos.
- Analysis of germline and conditional knockout mouse studies.
- Synthesis of current literature on retinoid signaling pathways in heart development.
Main Results:
- Retinoid signaling is vital for all stages of heart development: lineage determination, tube formation, looping, epicardium formation, ventricular maturation, septation, and coronary arteriogenesis.
- Specific molecular players in the vitamin A cascade have been identified and characterized.
- Cross-talk between retinoid signaling and other critical developmental pathways has been uncovered.
Conclusions:
- Controlled retinoid signaling is indispensable for normal cardiac formation, remodeling, and maturation.
- Understanding retinoid's role provides insights into congenital heart defects.
- This review serves as a foundation for future research into retinoid-mediated cardiac development.
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