Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos
08:57

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos

Published on: July 27, 2022

Notch and cardiac outflow tract development

Rajan Jain1, Stacey Rentschler, Jonathan A Epstein

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|March 6, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Congenital heart disease, a common birth defect, often involves the outflow tract. Jagged1/Notch signaling is crucial for proper outflow tract development and aortic arch artery patterning during heart formation.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Cardiovascular research
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting nearly 1% of live births.
  • Outflow tract malformations account for about one-third of all CHDs.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac morphogenesis is critical for addressing CHD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of cardiac outflow tract formation.
  • To elucidate the role of Jagged1/Notch signaling in outflow tract development.
  • To identify key signaling pathways involved in aortic arch artery patterning.

Main Methods:

  • Studied interactions between neural crest cells, second heart field myocardium, and endocardial cushion mesenchyme during cardiogenesis.
  • Investigated the Jagged1/Notch signaling pathway within the second heart field.
  • Analyzed downstream signaling cascades involving Fgf8 and Bmp4.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that Jagged1/Notch signaling initiates a cascade involving Fgf8 and Bmp4.
  • Showed that this cascade modulates outflow tract development.
  • Identified the role of these pathways in aortic arch artery patterning.

Conclusions:

  • Complex tissue-tissue interactions and integrated signaling pathways orchestrate outflow tract patterning.
  • Jagged1/Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in normal cardiac morphogenesis.
  • Further research into Notch signaling in adult cardiac health and disease is warranted.

More Related Videos

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy to Capture 4-Dimensional Images of the Effects of Modulating Shear Stress on the Developing Zebrafish Heart06:51

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy to Capture 4-Dimensional Images of the Effects of Modulating Shear Stress on the Developing Zebrafish Heart

Published on: August 10, 2018

A Novel Ex Ovo Banding Technique to Alter Intracardiac Hemodynamics in an Embryonic Chicken System08:09

A Novel Ex Ovo Banding Technique to Alter Intracardiac Hemodynamics in an Embryonic Chicken System

Published on: May 13, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Notch Signaling Pathway03:14

Notch Signaling Pathway

The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Notch Signaling Pathway03:14

Notch Signaling Pathway

The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Development of the Heart01:27

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...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Development of Blood Vessels01:07

Development of Blood Vessels

The development of the vascular system in a fetus is a complex and intricate process that begins as early as 15 to 16 days post-conception. This process starts outside the embryo, specifically in the mesoderm of the yolk sac, chorion, and connecting stalk. Approximately two days later, the formation of blood vessels occurs within the embryo itself.
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
Chambers of the Heart01:16

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...