Analysis of postembryonic heart development and maturation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cardiac maturation is vital for animal survival and must occur throughout the animal's life. Zebrafish are increasingly used to model cardiac disease; however, little is known about how the cardiovascular system matures. We conducted a systematic analysis of cardiac maturation from larvae through to adulthood and assessed cardiac features influenced by genetic and environmental factors.

Results

We identified a novel step in cardiac maturation, termed cardiac rotation, where the larval heart rotates into its final orientation within the thoracic cavity with the atrium placed behind the ventricle. This rotation is followed by linear ventricle growth and an increase in the angle between bulbous arteriosus and the ventricle. The ventricle transitions from a rectangle,

SUBMITTER: Singleman C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4446259 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature