SFB / Transregio 23
"Vascular Differentiation and Remodeling"

Mannheim - Heidelberg - Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Didier Stainier Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research Dept. III - Developmental Genetics Ludwigstrasse 43 D-61231 Bad Nauheim Phone: 0049 (0)6032 705 1302 Lab Homepage
	didier.stainier(at)mpi-bn.mpg.de
C8: Role of the Meis2 homeobox transcription factor in endocardial cell differentiation and function
Endocardial cells play important roles in heart formation and function but have generally been considered as a homogenous cell population, i.e., one that does not exhibit differences according to the chamber they belong to. In a screen for chamber specific transcripts in the adult zebrafish heart, we identified meis2b, a homeobox transcription factor gene that is surprisingly expressed specifically in the endocardial cells of the atrium, including those lining the atrial face of the cardiac valve. This proposal is focused on understanding the role of meis2b during endocardial development and function.