Characterization and In Vivo Pharmacological Rescue of a Wnt2-Gata6 Pathway Required for Cardiac Inflow Tract Development

• Published in: Developmental cell Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 275 - 287
• Main Authors: Tian, Ying, Yuan, Lijun, Goss, Ashley M., Wang, Tao, Yang, Jifu, Lepore, John J., Zhou, Diane, Schwartz, Robert J., Patel, Vickas, Cohen, Ethan David, Morrisey, Edward E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, MA Elsevier Inc 16.02.2010; Cell Press
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell differentiation, maturation, development, hematopoiesis; Cell physiology; DEVBIO; Disease Models, Animal; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Female; Fetal Heart - drug effects; Fetal Heart - embryology; Fetal Heart - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GATA6 Transcription Factor - genetics; GATA6 Transcription Factor - physiology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - drug effects; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 - antagonists & inhibitors; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; Heart Defects, Congenital - embryology; Heart Defects, Congenital - genetics; Heart Defects, Congenital - physiopathology; Humans; Lithium Chloride - pharmacology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Mutant Strains; Models, Cardiovascular; Molecular and cellular biology; Phenotype; Pregnancy; Signal Transduction; Wnt2 Protein - deficiency; Wnt2 Protein - genetics; Wnt2 Protein - physiology; DEVBIO; Characterization; Heart; Development; In vivo; Circulatory system
• ISSN: 1534-5807; 1878-1551; 1878-1551
• DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2010.01.008

Little is understood about the molecular mechanisms underlying the morphogenesis of the posterior pole of the heart. Here we show that Wnt2 is expressed specifically in the developing inflow tract mesoderm, which generates portions of the atria and atrio-ventricular canal. Loss of Wnt2 results in defective development of the posterior pole of the heart, resulting in a phenotype resembling the human congenital heart syndrome complete common atrio-ventricular canal. The number and proliferation of posterior second heart field progenitors is reduced in Wnt2−/− mutants. Moreover, these defects can be rescued in a temporally restricted manner through pharmacological inhibition of Gsk-3β. We also show that Wnt2 works in a feedforward transcriptional loop with Gata6 to regulate posterior cardiac development. These data reveal a molecular pathway regulating the posterior cardiac mesoderm and demonstrate that cardiovascular defects caused by loss of Wnt signaling can be rescued pharmacologically in vivo. [Display omitted] ► Wnt2 is required for atrial and inflow tract morphogenesis ► Wnt2 regulates expansion of secondary heart field progenitors ► Defects in Wnt2−/− mutants can be rescued using Wnt signaling agonists ► Wnt2 cooperates with Gata6 to regulate cardiac inflow tract development