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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Heart Dissection in Larval, Juvenile and Adult Zebrafish, Danio rerio
Published on: September 30, 2011
Vertebrate heart development
1Department of Anatomy, University of Wisconsin Medical School, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, 53706, USA. glyons@macc.wisc.edu
Abstract:
This review summarizes recent studies of the cellular and molecular events involved in the determination and differentiation of cardiac myocytes in vertebrate embryos. Fate-mapping studies in mouse, chick, amphibian and zebrafish embryos suggest that cardiac muscle precursors are specified shortly before or at the time of gastrulation. Nuclear factors, such as dHAND, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, GATA-6, Nkx-2.3, growth arrest homeobox (Gax) and cardiac adriamycin responsive protein (CARP), which have recently been described as playing a role in the commitment and/or differentiation of cardiac myocytes are discussed.
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