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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...

Anatomy of the Heart

Anatomy of the Heart

The human heart is made up of three layers of tissue that are surrounded by the pericardium, a membrane that protects and confines the heart. The outermost layer, closest to the pericardium, is the epicardium. The pericardial cavity separates the pericardium from the epicardium. Beneath the epicardium is the myocardium, the middle layer, and the endocardium, the innermost layer. There are four chambers of the heart: the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left atrium, and the left ventricle.

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles

Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles

The primary role of cardiac muscles is to propel blood throughout the cardiovascular system. The cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit specialized characteristics that allow them to perform this function.
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy reserves in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissues

Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissues

Published on: June 3, 2016

Cardiac ventricular chambers are epigenetically distinguishable.

Prabhu Mathiyalagan¹, Lisa Chang, Xiao-Jun Du

¹Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, The Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)

|January 22, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Heart ventricles exhibit distinct gene expression patterns linked to epigenetic modifications. This study reveals that histone modifications differentiate the left and right ventricles, impacting cardiac gene regulation.

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Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Epigenetics
Molecular Cardiology

Background:

The left and right ventricles have different pressure workloads, influencing gene expression crucial for cardiac development and hypertrophy.
Epigenetic modifications and gene expression patterns in cardiac ventricles are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate gene expression changes and epigenetic modifications in mouse cardiac ventricles.
To determine if histone modifications and gene expression patterns distinguish left and right ventricles.

Main Methods:

Examined gene expression of alpha-Myosin heavy chain (alpha-MHC), beta-Myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC), Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANp), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA2a).
Studied histone H3 and H4 acetylation and H3 lysine 4 dimethylation on gene promoters.
Assessed the recruitment of histone acetyltransferase (HAT) p300 to promoters using chromatin immunopurification.

Main Results:

Gene expression patterns closely correlate with specific histone modifications in cardiac ventricles.
Evidence suggests distinct epigenetic profiles between the left and right ventricles.
Histone acetylation and H3K4 dimethylation patterns varied between the ventricles.

Conclusions:

The left and right ventricles are epigenetically distinguishable.
Epigenetic regulation plays a significant role in the differential gene expression observed in cardiac chambers.
Findings provide insights into the molecular basis of ventricular specialization.