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Development of the Heart

Development of the Heart

The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart tube by...

The Cardiac Cycle

The Cardiac Cycle

The heart beats rhythmically in a sequence called the cardiac cycle—a rapid coordination of contraction (systole) and relaxation (diastole).
The Process
Electrical signals—sent from the sinoatrial (SA) node in the right atrial wall to the atrioventricular (AV) node between the right atrium and right ventricle—cause both atria to simultaneously contract. When the signal reaches the AV node, it pauses for approximately a tenth of a second, allowing the atria to contract and empty blood into the...

Chambers of the Heart

Chambers of the Heart

The human heart is a complex organ made up of four chambers: the right and left atria and the right and left ventricles. These internal chambers are separated by partitions known as the interatrial and interventricular septa. The exterior of the heart features a groove known as the coronary sulcus that demarcates the atria from the ventricles, while the anterior and posterior interventricular sulci distinguish between the two ventricles.
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...

Conduction System of the Heart

Conduction System of the Heart

Autorhythmicity is a term that refers to the heart's inherent ability to generate electrical signals and instigate muscle contractions. This self-regulating conduction system within the heart consists of two key components: the pacemaker cells and specialized conducting cells.
The pacemaker cells are located in two primary nodes: the sinoatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node. The SA node pacemaker cells can autonomously depolarize, triggering an action potential that leads to the...

Conduction System of the Heart

Conduction System of the Heart

The cardiac conduction system produces and transmits electrical impulses that prompt myocardial contraction, ensuring efficient heart function. This intricate system ensures that the heart beats in a coordinated and efficient manner, beginning with the atria and then the ventricles. The conduction system optimizes cardiac output by maintaining this precise sequence, which is crucial for adequate blood circulation.
This system relies on the unique properties of nodal and Purkinje cells:...

Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

The normal cardiac rhythm is a synchronized electrical activity that facilitates the regular and coordinated contraction of the heart muscle. This process is essential for efficient blood circulation throughout the body. The fundamental elements involved in establishing and maintaining this rhythm include the unique electrical properties of cardiac muscle cells, the sinoatrial (SA) node's pacemaker function, the specialized conducting system, and the ionic mechanisms underlying each phase of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Visualizing the Beating Heart in Drosophila

Visualizing the Beating Heart in Drosophila

Published on: September 28, 2009

Heart development before beating.

Yuji Nakajima¹, Masahide Sakabe, Hiroko Matsui

¹Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abenoku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan. yuji@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp

Anatomical Science International

|March 5, 2009

Summary

Heart development requires a two-step signaling process. Initial epiblast-hypoblast interactions induce heart mesoderm, followed by endoderm signals during gastrulation to commit cells and form a primitive heart tube.

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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Visualizing the Beating Heart in Drosophila

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Published on: September 28, 2009

Generating Self-Assembling Human Heart Organoids Derived from Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Published on: September 15, 2021

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Published on: October 7, 2016

Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Molecular signaling in embryogenesis
Cardiac development

Background:

Prospective heart cells originate in the posterior lateral epiblast at the pregastrula stage.
Early heart mesoderm formation depends on epiblast-hypoblast tissue interactions.
Key signaling pathways involved include FGF, Nodal, BMP-antagonist, and Wnt.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the signaling cascades regulating heart development from early embryonic stages.
To identify the critical tissue interactions and molecular signals involved in heart lineage commitment.
To understand the spatiotemporal coordination of cell migration and fusion forming the primitive heart tube.

Main Methods:

Analysis of gene expression patterns in prospective heart cells.
Investigating signaling pathway involvement (FGF, Nodal, BMP, Wnt) during gastrulation.
Tracking cell migration and fusion events leading to heart tube formation.

Main Results:

Epiblast-hypoblast interaction induces anterior lateral mesoderm gene expression.
Prospective heart cells migrate from the primitive streak to form anterior lateral plate mesoderm.
Endoderm-derived signals (BMP, FGF, Wnt-antagonist) commit cells to the heart lineage.
Precardiac mesoderm fuses to form a primitive heart tube at the neurula stage.

Conclusions:

A two-step signaling cascade is essential for generating a beating heart.
Early inductive signals and later gastrulation-stage signals are critical for heart development.
Proper tissue interactions and signaling pathways ensure correct cardiac lineage commitment and morphogenesis.