Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 16, 2026

En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos
Published on: July 27, 2022
MEF2C networks in heart tube development
Hassan Abdulrazzak1, Mark Mercola2,3,4
1National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Heart formation depends on the finely tuned activity of transcriptional regulators, yet the networks they control are only now being defined. In this issue of Genes & Development, Muncie-Vasik and colleagues (doi:10.1101/gad.352889.125) analyzed the role of MEF2C, which is a key driver of heart formation. By characterizing MEF2C's temporal effects on mRNA profiles and chromatin structure, the investigators computationally reconstructed downstream gene regulatory networks, which turned out to be remarkably specific for the different heart tube segments that form the inflow tract, chambers, and outflow tract. The results comprise an extremely fine-grained view of the network logic of heart formation.
Related Concept Videos
Development of the Heart
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
Development of Blood Vessels
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...
Master Transcription Regulators
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

