Neural signaling contributes to heart formation and growth in the invertebrate chordate, <i>Ciona robusta</i>.

ABSTRACT: Neurons contribute to the complex interplay of signals that mediate heart development and homeostasis. Although a limited set of studies suggest that neuronal peptides impact vertebrate heart growth, the specific contributions of these peptides to cardiomyocyte progenitor differentiation or proliferation have not been elucidated. Here we show that the neuropeptide tachykinin along with canonical Wnt signaling regulate cardiomyocyte progenitor proliferation in the chordate model Ciona robusta. In C. robusta, the heart continues to grow throughout adulthood and classic histological studies indicate that a line of undifferentiated cells may serve as a reserve progenitor lineage. We found that this line of cardiomyocyte progenitors consists of distinct distal and midline populati

SUBMITTER: Gruner HN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12247680 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature