Genetic fate mapping identifies second heart field progenitor cells as a source of adipocytes in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

ABSTRACT: The phenotypic hallmark of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease of desmosomal proteins, is fibroadipocytic replacement of the right ventricle. Cellular origin of excess adipocytes, the responsible mechanism(s) and the basis for predominant involvement of the right ventricle are unknown. We generated 3 sets of lineage tracer mice regulated by cardiac lineage promoters alpha-myosin heavy chain (alphaMyHC), Nkx2.5, or Mef2C. We conditionally expressed the reporter enhanced yellow fluorescent protein while concomitantly deleting the desmosomal protein desmoplakin in cardiac myocyte lineages using the Cre-LoxP technique. Lineage tracer mice showed excess fibroadiposis and increased numbers of adipocytes in the hearts. Few adipocytes in the hearts of alphaMyHC-regul

SUBMITTER: Lombardi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2767296 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature