Sculpting the heart: Cellular mechanisms shaping valves and trabeculae

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2021 Dec:73:26-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.04.009. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Abstract

The transformation of the heart from a simple tube to a complex organ requires the orchestration of several morphogenetic processes. Two structures critical for cardiac function, the cardiac valves and the trabecular network, are formed through extensive tissue morphogenesis-endocardial cell migration, deadhesion and differentiation into fibroblast-like cells during valve formation, and cardiomyocyte delamination and apico-basal depolarization during trabeculation. Here, we review current knowledge of how these specialized structures acquire their shape by focusing on the underlying cellular behaviors and molecular mechanisms, highlighting findings from in vivo models and briefly discussing the recent advances in cardiac cell culture and organoids.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cell Movement
  • Heart Valves
  • Morphogenesis
  • Myocytes, Cardiac*
  • Organogenesis*