Transcription profile of hearts extracted from zebrafish embryos treated with SU5402 at 48 hpf

Heart formation requires input from two populations of progenitor cells - the first and second heart fields - that differentiate at distinct times and create different cardiac components. The cardiac outflow tract (OFT) is built through recruitment of late-differentiating, second heart field (SHF) -derived cardiomyocytes to the arterial pole of the heart. Mechanisms responsible for selection of an appropriate number of OFT cells from the SHF remain unclear, although several lines of evidence emphasize the importance of FGF signaling in promoting this process. Here, we examine the impact of inhibition of FGF signaling on cardiac transcription profiles in an effort to identify genes operating downstream of FGF during OFT development.

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Zeng XX, Yelon D