Project description:One third of cardiac congenital diseases affect cardiac valves. Genetically modified mice have advanced our understanding of valve development and related pathologies. However, little is known with regard to human valve development.We aimed to derive a novel human pluripotent stem cell model in order to decode the early steps of human valvulogenesis. Human MesP1+mesodermal cells were differentiated toward the fate of second heart field progenitors and then to a selected population of pre-valvular endocardial cells. Gene arrays revealed that these human prevalvular cells (HPVC) express patterns of genes similar to those expressed in the atrioventricular canal (AVC) endocardium of E9.0 mouse embryos. In mice this developmental time precedes endocardial mesenchymal transition (EndoMT),which is required for mature valve formation. HPVC treated with BMP2, cultured onto chick or mouse AVC cushions, or transplanted into the outflow tract or AVC of embryonic chick and mouse hearts, underwent EndoMTin both a Notch-dependent and independent-manner and expressed markers of valve mesenchymal cells and fibroblasts. Similar to the previously described valve interstitial cells (VICs), HPVC also differentiate into tendinous/chondrogenic cells. Our study indicates tha thuman pluripotent stem cells canrecapitulate early valvulogenesis and thus provide a powerful model to further decipher the origin and lineage contribution of different valvular cell types in humans.
Project description:One third of cardiac congenital diseases affect cardiac valves. Genetically modifiedmice have advancedourunderstandingof valve development and related pathologies. However, little is known with regard tohuman valve development.We aimed to derive a novel human pluripotent stem cellmodel in order to decode the early steps of human valvulogenesis.Human MesP1+mesodermal cells were differentiated toward the fate of second heart field progenitors and then to a selected population of pre-valvular endocardial cells. Gene arrays revealed that these human prevalvular cells (HPVC) express patterns of genes similar to those expressed in theatrioventricular canal (AVC) endocardium of E9.0 mouse embryos. In mice this developmental time precedes endocardial mesenchymal transition (EndoMT),which is required for mature valve formation.HPVC treated with BMP2, cultured onto chick or mouse AVC cushions, or transplanted into the outflow tract or AVC of embryonic chick and mouse hearts, underwent EndoMTin both a Notch-dependent and independent-manner and expressed markers of valve mesenchymal cells and fibroblasts.Similar to the previously described valve interstitial cells (VICs), HPVC also differentiate into tendinous/chondrogenic cells. Our study indicates thathuman pluripotent stem cells canrecapitulate early valvulogenesis and thus provide a powerful model to further decipher the origin and lineage contributionof different valvular cell typesin humans.
Project description:Self-organisation and coordinated morphogenesis of multiple cardiac lineages is essential for the development and function of the heart1-3. However, the absence of a human in vitro model that mimics the basic lineage architecture of the heart hinders research into developmental mechanisms and congenital defects4. Here, we describe the establishment of a reliable, lineage-controlled and high-throughput cardiac organoid platform. We show that cardiac mesoderm derived from human pluripotent stem cells robustly self-organises and differentiates into cardiomyocytes forming a cavity. Co-differentiation of cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells from cardiac mesoderm within these structures is required to form a separate endothelial layer. As in vivo, the epicardium engulfs these cardiac organoids, migrates into the cardiomyocyte layer and differentiates. We use this model to demonstrate that cardiac cavity formation is controlled by a mesodermal WNT-BMP signalling axis. Disruption of one of the key BMP targets in cardiac mesoderm, the transcription factor HAND1, interferes with cavity formation, which is consistent with its role in early heart tube and left chamber development5. Thus, the cardiac organoid platform represents a powerful resource for the quantitative and mechanistic analysis of early human cardiogenesis and defects that are otherwise inaccessible. Beyond understanding congenital heart disease, cardiac organoids provide a foundation for future translational research into human cardiac disorders.
Project description:Transcriptional networks governing cardiac precursor cell (CPC) specification are incompletely understood due in part to limitations in distinguishing CPCs from non-cardiac mesoderm in early gastrulation. We leveraged detection of early cardiac lineage transgenes within a granular single cell transcriptomic time course of mouse embryos to identify emerging CPCs and describe their transcriptional profiles. Mesp1, a transiently-expressed mesodermal transcription factor (TF), is canonically described as an early regulator of cardiac specification. However, we observed perdurance of CPC transgene-expressing cells in Mesp1 mutants, albeit mis-localized, prompting us to investigate the scope of Mesp1’s role in CPC emergence and differentiation. Mesp1 mutant CPCs failed to robustly activate markers of cardiomyocyte maturity and critical cardiac TFs, yet they exhibited transcriptional profiles resembling cardiac mesoderm progressing towards cardiomyocyte fates. Single cell chromatin accessibility analysis defined a Mesp1-dependent developmental breakpoint in cardiac lineage progression at a shift from mesendoderm transcriptional networks to those necessary for cardiac patterning and morphogenesis. These results reveal Mesp1-independent aspects of early CPC specification and underscore a Mesp1-dependent regulatory landscape required for progression through cardiogenesis. This SuperSeries is composed of subseries.