Biomaterial Database

Factors involved in cardiogenesis and the regulation of cardiac-specific gene expression. 1996

J D Mably, and C C Liew

Laboratory for Molecular Cardiology, Toronto Hospital, Ontario, Canada.

The delineation of the mechanisms that regulate cardiac gene expression is central to our understanding of cardiac growth and development. Much progress has been made toward the identification of factors involved in tissue-restricted gene expression, especially in skeletal muscle cells. However, the mechanisms regulating the expression of cardiac-specific genes remain less well understood. Certain homeodomain proteins have been implicated in commitment to the cardiac phenotype. Among the best characterized are the murine proteins Csx, Nkx-2.5, and Nkx-2.6, related to the protein tinman, which is essential for heart formation in Drosophila. The expression of these genes precedes that of cardiac-specific genes and is therefore believed to play a critical role in the development of the heart. The GATA proteins are a family of zinc finger proteins that are also expressed early in cardiac development and may act separately from, or in concert with, the homeodomain proteins as crucial regulators of heart development. The myosin heavy and light chain genes, the actin genes, the troponin genes, and the atrial natriuretic factor and muscle creatine kinase genes have served as excellent paradigms for the study of cardiac gene expression. Although differences in cis-acting elements and their behavior in binding assays have been observed between different genes, there exist similarities that are noteworthy. In this review, we will discuss the factors involved in the regulation of cardiac-specific gene expression in an attempt to provide a better understanding of the process of cardiogenesis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D003285	Contractile Proteins	Proteins which participate in contractile processes. They include MUSCLE PROTEINS as well as those found in other cells and tissues. In the latter, these proteins participate in localized contractile events in the cytoplasm, in motile activity, and in cell aggregation phenomena.	Contractile Protein,Protein, Contractile,Proteins, Contractile
D005786	Gene Expression Regulation	Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control (induction or repression) of gene action at the level of transcription or translation.	Gene Action Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression,Expression Regulation, Gene,Regulation, Gene Action,Regulation, Gene Expression
D005809	Genes, Regulator	Genes which regulate or circumscribe the activity of other genes; specifically, genes which code for PROTEINS or RNAs which have GENE EXPRESSION REGULATION functions.	Gene, Regulator,Regulator Gene,Regulator Genes,Regulatory Genes,Gene, Regulatory,Genes, Regulatory,Regulatory Gene
D006321	Heart	The hollow, muscular organ that maintains the circulation of the blood.	Hearts
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D018482	Muscle, Skeletal	A subtype of striated muscle, attached by TENDONS to the SKELETON. Skeletal muscles are innervated and their movement can be consciously controlled. They are also called voluntary muscles.	Anterior Tibial Muscle,Gastrocnemius Muscle,Muscle, Voluntary,Plantaris Muscle,Skeletal Muscle,Soleus Muscle,Muscle, Anterior Tibial,Muscle, Gastrocnemius,Muscle, Plantaris,Muscle, Soleus,Muscles, Skeletal,Muscles, Voluntary,Skeletal Muscles,Tibial Muscle, Anterior,Voluntary Muscle,Voluntary Muscles