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Pseudodynamic analysis of heart tube formation in the mouse reveals strong regional variability and early left–right asymmetry

Nature Cardiovascular Research, vol. 1, pp. 504–517

Abstract

Understanding organ morphogenesis requires a precise geometrical description of the tissues involved in the process. The high morphological variability in mammalian embryos hinders the quantitative analysis of organogenesis. In particular, the study of early heart development in mammals remains a challenging problem due to imaging limitations and complexity. Here, we provide a complete morphological description of mammalian heart tube formation based on detailed imaging of a temporally dense collection of mouse embryonic hearts. We develop strategies for morphometric staging and quantification of local morphological variations between specimens. We identify hot spots of regionalized variability and identify Nodal-controlled left-right asymmetry of the inflow tracts as the earliest signs of organ left-right asymmetry in the mammalian embryo. Finally, we generate a three-dimensional+t digital model that allows co-representation of data from different sources and provides a framework for the computer modeling of heart tube formation.

Authors 8

  1. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid · Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain

    Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

  2. RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Visual Computing Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

  3. Inserm · Institut Pasteur · Université Paris Cité · Institut des Maladies Génétiques Imagine · Morphogenèse du coeur

    Affiliation as printed

    Unit of Heart Morphogenesis, Université de Paris, Imagine - Institut Pasteur, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France

  4. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid · Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain

    Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

  5. Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain

  6. Inserm · Institut Pasteur · Université Paris Cité · Institut des Maladies Génétiques Imagine · Morphogenèse du coeur

    Affiliation as printed

    Unit of Heart Morphogenesis, Université de Paris, Imagine - Institut Pasteur, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France

  7. RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Visual Computing Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

  8. Miguel Torres corresponding

    Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain. mtorres@cnic.es

    Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain

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References 47