Cell diversity and plasticity during atrioventricular heart valve EMTs.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37689753.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-41279-6 and PMC identifier 10492828.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) of both endocardium and epicardium guide atrioventricular heart valve formation, but the cellular complexity and small scale of this tissue have restricted analyses. To circumvent these issues, we analyzed over 50,000 murine single-cell transcriptomes from embryonic day (E)7.75 hearts to E12.5 atrioventricular canals. We delineate mesenchymal and endocardial bifurcation during endocardial EMT, identify a distinct, transdifferentiating epicardial population during epicardial EMT, and reveal the activation of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity during both processes. In Sox9-deficient valves, we observe increased epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, indicating a role for SOX9 in promoting endothelial and mesenchymal cell fate decisions. Lastly, we deconvolve cell interactions guiding the initiation and progression of cardiac valve EMTs. Overall, these data reveal mechanisms of emergence of mesenchyme from endocardium or epicardium at single-cell resolution and will serve as an atlas of EMT initiation and progression with broad implications in regenerative medicine and cancer biology.
Medical subject headings
- Heart Valves
- Endocardium