The bHLH transcription factor Tcf21 is required for lineage-specific EMT of cardiac fibroblast progenitors.

ABSTRACT: The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors orchestrates cell-fate specification, commitment and differentiation in multiple cell lineages during development. Here, we describe the role of a bHLH transcription factor, Tcf21 (epicardin/Pod1/capsulin), in specification of the cardiac fibroblast lineage. In the developing heart, the epicardium constitutes the primary source of progenitor cells that form two cell lineages: coronary vascular smooth muscle cells (cVSMCs) and cardiac fibroblasts. Currently, there is a debate regarding whether the specification of these lineages occurs early in the formation of the epicardium or later after the cells have entered the myocardium. Lineage tracing using a tamoxifen-inducible Cre expressed from the Tcf21 locus demonstrated that t

SUBMITTER: Acharya A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3357908 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature