scholarly journals The developing heart: from The Wizard of Oz to congenital heart disease

Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (21) ◽  
pp. dev194233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit G. Bruneau

ABSTRACTThe heart is an essential organ with a fascinating developmental biology. It is also one of the organs that is most often affected in human disease, either during development or in postnatal life. Over the last few decades, insights into the development of the heart have led to fundamental new concepts in gene regulation, but also to genetic and mechanistic insights into congenital heart defects. In more recent years, the lessons learned from studying heart development have been applied to interrogating regeneration of the diseased heart, exemplifying the importance of understanding the mechanistic underpinnings that lead to the development of an organ.

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahide Sakabe ◽  
Hiroko Matsui ◽  
Hirokazu Sakata ◽  
Katsumi Ando ◽  
Toshiyuki Yamagishi ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neslihan Abaci ◽  
Muzaffer Arıkan ◽  
Türkan Tansel ◽  
Nazlı Sahin ◽  
Aris Cakiris ◽  
...  

AbstractIt has been shown that mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid mutations may play an important role in the development of cardiomyopathy, and various types of cardiomyopathy can be attributed to disturbed mitochondrial oxidative energy metabolism. Several studies have described many mutations in mitochondrial genes encoding for subunits of respiratory chain complexes. Thus, recent studies confirm that pathologic mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid mutations are a major reason of diseases and determining them by next-generation sequencing will improve our understanding of dysregulation of heart development. To analyse mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid mutations, the entire mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid was amplified in two overlapping polymerase chain reaction fragments from the cardiac tissue of the 22 patients with congenital heart disease, undergoing cardiac surgery. Mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid was deep sequenced by next-generation sequencing. A total of 13 novel mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid mutations were identified in nine patients. Of the patients, three have novel mutations together with reported cardiomyopathy mutations. In all, 65 mutations were found, and 13 of them were unreported. This study represents the most comprehensive mitochondrial deoxyribo nucleic acid mutational analysis in patients with congenital heart disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Maha Alser ◽  
Samar Shurbaji ◽  
Huseyin C. Yalcin

The heart is the first organ that starts to function in a developing embryo. It continues to undergo dramatic morphological changes while pumping blood to the rest of the body. Genetic regulation of heart development is partly governed by hemodynamics. Chick embryo is a major animal model that has been used extensively in cardiogenesis research. To reveal mechanosensitive pathways, a variety of surgical interferences and chemical treatments can be applied to the chick embryo to manipulate the blood flow. Such manipulations alter expressions of mechanosensitive genes which may anticipate induction of morphological changes in the developing heart. This paper aims to present different approaches for generating clinically relevant disturbed hemodynamics conditions using this embryonic chick model and to summarize identified mechanosensitive genes using the model, providing insights into embryonic origins of congenital heart defects.


Diseases ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrell ◽  
Lennon ◽  
Jacot

: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide and the number one killer of live-born infants in the United States. Heart development occurs early in embryogenesis and involves complex interactions between multiple cell populations, limiting the understanding and consequent treatment of CHD. Furthermore, genome sequencing has largely failed to predict or yield therapeutics for CHD. In addition to the underlying genome, epigenetics and mechanobiology both drive heart development. A growing body of evidence implicates the aberrant regulation of these two extra-genomic systems in the pathogenesis of CHD. In this review, we describe the stages of human heart development and the heart defects known to manifest at each stage. Next, we discuss the distinct and overlapping roles of epigenetics and mechanobiology in normal development and in the pathogenesis of CHD. Finally, we highlight recent advances in the identification of novel epigenetic biomarkers and environmental risk factors that may be useful for improved diagnosis and further elucidation of CHD etiology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Olga María Diz ◽  
Rocio Toro ◽  
Sergi Cesar ◽  
Olga Gomez ◽  
Georgia Sarquella-Brugada ◽  
...  

Congenital heart disease is a group of pathologies characterized by structural malformations of the heart or great vessels. These alterations occur during the embryonic period and are the most frequently observed severe congenital malformations, the main cause of neonatal mortality due to malformation, and the second most frequent congenital malformations overall after malformations of the central nervous system. The severity of different types of congenital heart disease varies depending on the combination of associated anatomical defects. The causes of these malformations are usually considered multifactorial, but genetic variants play a key role. Currently, use of high-throughput genetic technologies allows identification of pathogenic aneuploidies, deletions/duplications of large segments, as well as rare single nucleotide variants. The high incidence of congenital heart disease as well as the associated complications makes it necessary to establish a diagnosis as early as possible to adopt the most appropriate measures in a personalized approach. In this review, we provide an exhaustive update of the genetic bases of the most frequent congenital heart diseases as well as other syndromes associated with congenital heart defects, and how genetic data can be translated to clinical practice in a personalized approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis R. Delany ◽  
Stephanie S. Gaydos ◽  
Deborah A. Romeo ◽  
Heather T. Henderson ◽  
Kristi L. Fogg ◽  
...  

AbstractApproximately 50% of newborns with Down syndrome have congenital heart disease. Non-cardiac comorbidities may also be present. Many of the principles and strategies of perioperative evaluation and management for patients with congenital heart disease apply to those with Down syndrome. Nevertheless, careful planning for cardiac surgery is required, evaluating for both cardiac and noncardiac disease, with careful consideration of the risk for pulmonary hypertension. In this manuscript, for children with Down syndrome and hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, we will summarize the epidemiology of heart defects that warrant intervention. We will review perioperative planning for this unique population, including anesthetic considerations, common postoperative issues, nutritional strategies, and discharge planning. Special considerations for single ventricle palliation and heart transplantation evaluation will also be discussed. Overall, the risk of mortality with cardiac surgery in pediatric patients with Down syndrome is no more than the general population, except for those with functional single ventricle heart defects. Underlying comorbidities may contribute to postoperative complications and increased length of stay. A strong understanding of cardiac and non-cardiac considerations in children with Down syndrome will help clinicians optimize perioperative care and long-term outcomes.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (16) ◽  
pp. 7179-7187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartholomew A. Pederson ◽  
Hanying Chen ◽  
Jill M. Schroeder ◽  
Weinian Shou ◽  
Anna A. DePaoli-Roach ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Glycogen serves as a repository of glucose in many mammalian tissues. Mice lacking this glucose reserve in muscle, heart, and several other tissues were generated by disruption of the GYS1 gene, which encodes an isoform of glycogen synthase. Crossing mice heterozygous for the GYS1 disruption resulted in a significant underrepresentation of GYS1-null mice in the offspring. Timed matings established that Mendelian inheritance was followed for up to 18.5 days postcoitum (dpc) and that ∼90% of GYS1-null animals died soon after birth due to impaired cardiac function. Defects in cardiac development began between 11.5 and 14.5 dpc. At 18.5 dpc, the hearts were significantly smaller, with reduced ventricular chamber size and enlarged atria. Consistent with impaired cardiac function, edema, pooling of blood, and hemorrhagic liver were seen. Glycogen synthase and glycogen were undetectable in cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle from the surviving null mice, and the hearts showed normal morphology and function. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common birth defects in humans, at up to 1 in 50 live births. The results provide the first direct evidence that the ability to synthesize glycogen in cardiac muscle is critical for normal heart development and hence that its impairment could be a significant contributor to congenital heart defects.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Alves Mourato ◽  
Lúcia Roberta R. Villachan ◽  
Sandra da Silva Mattos

OBJECTIVE:To determine the frequence and profile of congenital heart defects in Down syndrome patients referred to a pediatric cardiologic center, considering the age of referral, gender, type of heart disease diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography and its association with pulmonary hypertension at the initial diagnosis.METHODS:Cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection of 138 patients with Down syndrome from a total of 17,873 records. Descriptive analysis of the data was performed, using Epi-Info version 7.RESULTS: Among the 138 patients with Down syndrome, females prevailed (56.1%) and 112 (81.2%) were diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The most common lesion was ostium secundum atrial septal defect, present in 51.8%, followed by atrioventricular septal defect, in 46.4%. Ventricular septal defects were present in 27.7%, while tetralogy of Fallot represented 6.3% of the cases. Other cardiac malformations corresponded to 12.5%. Pulmonary hypertension was associated with 37.5% of the heart diseases. Only 35.5% of the patients were referred before six months of age.CONCLUSIONS: The low percentage of referral until six months of age highlights the need for a better tracking of patients with Down syndrome in the context of congenital heart disease, due to the high frequency and progression of pulmonary hypertension.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 827
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Martin ◽  
D Woodrow Benson

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are malformations present at birth that occur during heart development. Increasing evidence supports a genetic origin of CHD, but in the process important challenges have been identified. This review begins with information about CHD and the importance of detailed phenotyping of study subjects. To facilitate appropriate genetic study design, we review DNA structure, genetic variation in the human genome and tools to identify the genetic variation of interest. Analytic approaches powered for both common and rare variants are assessed. While the ideal outcome of genetic studies is to identify variants that have a causal role, a more realistic goal for genetic analytics is to identify variants in specific genes that influence the occurrence of a phenotype and which provide keys to open biologic doors that inform how the genetic variants modulate heart development. It has never been truer that good genetic studies start with good planning. Continued progress in unraveling the genetic underpinnings of CHD will require multidisciplinary collaboration between geneticists, quantitative scientists, clinicians, and developmental biologists.


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