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

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Remuscularizing the Failing Human Heart.

The New England journal of medicine·2026
Same author

CDK1 and CEP97 cooperatively control centriole length to orchestrate ciliogenesis and developmental patterning.

Genes & development·2026
Same author

Author Correction: Myocardial reprogramming by HMGN1 underlies heart defects in trisomy 21.

Nature·2026
Same author

Genome-wide CRISPRi screen identifies basigin loss as protective in cardiac hypoxia.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

The oligogenic inheritance test GCOD detects risk genes and their interactions in congenital heart defects.

Genome research·2025
Same author

Lineage Tracing Reveals a Shared Cellular Origin for Supraclavicular Brown and Inguinal Beige Adipocytes.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

In Vitro Generation of Heart Field-specific Cardiac Progenitor Cells
09:29

In Vitro Generation of Heart Field-specific Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Published on: July 3, 2019

Hand2 function in second heart field progenitors is essential for cardiogenesis.

Takatoshi Tsuchihashi1, Jun Maeda, Chong H Shin

  • 1Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California San Francisco, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.

Developmental Biology
|December 28, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Hand2 is crucial for the survival of second heart field progenitors during heart development. Its loss causes congenital heart defects, mimicking human conditions.

More Related Videos

Generation of First Heart Field-like Cardiac Progenitors and Ventricular-like Cardiomyocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
08:37

Generation of First Heart Field-like Cardiac Progenitors and Ventricular-like Cardiomyocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: June 19, 2018

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche
07:04

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche

Published on: July 20, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

In Vitro Generation of Heart Field-specific Cardiac Progenitor Cells
09:29

In Vitro Generation of Heart Field-specific Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Published on: July 3, 2019

Generation of First Heart Field-like Cardiac Progenitors and Ventricular-like Cardiomyocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
08:37

Generation of First Heart Field-like Cardiac Progenitors and Ventricular-like Cardiomyocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: June 19, 2018

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche
07:04

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche

Published on: July 20, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Genetics
  • Cardiovascular research

Background:

  • Cardiogenesis relies on distinct progenitor pools, including the first and second heart fields.
  • Genetic pathway disruptions in cardiac progenitors contribute to congenital heart malformations.
  • Hand2, a transcription factor, is vital for heart development but its specific role in myocardial progenitors was unclear due to early lethality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the lineage-specific function of Hand2 in cardiac progenitor development.
  • To determine the role of Hand2 in the survival and function of second heart field progenitors.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Hand2 influences cardiac progenitor expansion.

Main Methods:

  • Generation and utilization of a floxed Hand2 allele for conditional gene ablation.
  • Targeted deletion of Hand2 in specific cardiac cell populations at defined developmental stages.
  • Molecular analyses of Hand2 mutant cells to identify downstream target genes.

Main Results:

  • Hand2 expression in second heart field progenitors is essential for their survival.
  • Deletion of Hand2 in this domain fully recapitulates the Hand2-null embryonic lethal phenotype.
  • Loss of Hand2 in later or restricted second heart field domains results in a spectrum of cardiac anomalies.
  • Molecular analyses identified genes regulated by Hand2 involved in cardiac progenitor expansion.

Conclusions:

  • Hand2 is indispensable for the survival of second heart field cardiac progenitors.
  • Graded loss of Hand2 function in this progenitor pool leads to a range of congenital heart malformations.
  • These findings highlight Hand2's critical role in preventing human-like congenital heart disease.