Epicardium-myocardium crosstalk orchestrates heart development

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Cell Signaling

Background:

• The epicardium is crucial for heart development, acting as a signaling center and progenitor cell source.
• Effective cardiac morphogenesis relies on bidirectional communication between the epicardium and myocardium via signaling networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of epicardium-myocardium crosstalk across species.
• To analyze how this crosstalk influences key cardiac developmental processes.
• To identify critical signaling pathways and regulators involved.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and critical assessment of decades of research.
• Synthesis of experimental models and mechanistic insights.
• Integrative analysis of existing data.

Main Results:

• Epicardium-myocardium crosstalk significantly impacts epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), epicardium-derived cell (EPDC) fate, myocardial proliferation, and coronary vasculature development.
• Key signaling pathways including retinoic acid, Fgf, Igf, Pdgf, Tgfβ, and calcium signaling are essential coordinators.
• Transcriptional and epigenetic regulators play vital roles in mediating these processes.

Conclusions:

• This review advances the understanding of epicardial-myocardial crosstalk in cardiac development.
• It highlights unresolved questions and proposes future research directions for cardiac development and disease.