The fabulous destiny of the Drosophila heart

• Published in: Current opinion in genetics & development Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. 518 - 525
• Main Authors: Medioni, Caroline, Sénatore, Sébastien, Salmand, Pierre-Adrien, Lalevée, Nathalie, Perrin, Laurent, Sémériva, Michel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Evolution; Body Patterning - genetics; Body Patterning - physiology; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; Cardiovascular System - embryology; Cellular Biology; Drosophila - embryology; Drosophila - growth & development; Drosophila - physiology; Embryo, Nonmammalian; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Regulatory Networks - physiology; Heart - embryology; Heart - growth & development; Heart - physiology; Humans; Life Sciences; Medical Education; Models, Biological; Morphogenesis - genetics; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; Developmental; Body Patterning/genetics/physiology; Embryo; Drosophila/embryology/growth & development/physiology; Humans; Gene Expression Regulation; Biological; Morphogenesis/genetics; Gene Regulatory Networks/physiology; Biological Evolution; Animals; Nonmammalian; Cardiovascular System/embryology; Models; Heart/embryology/growth & development/physiology
• ISSN: 0959-437X; 1879-0380
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2009.07.004

For the last 15 years the fly cardiovascular system has attracted developmental geneticists for its potential as a model system of organogenesis. Heart development in Drosophila indeed provides a remarkable system for elucidating the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of morphogenesis and, more recently, for understanding the genetic control of cardiac physiology. The success of these studies can in part be attributed to multidisciplinary approaches, the multiplicity of existing genetic tools, and a detailed knowledge of the system. Striking similarities with vertebrate cardiogenesis have long been stressed, in particular concerning the conservation of key molecular regulators of cardiogenesis and the new data presented here confirm Drosophila cardiogenesis as a model not only for organogenesis but also for the study of molecular mechanisms of human cardiac disease.