Connecting teratogen‐induced congenital heart defects to neural crest cells and their effect on cardiac function |
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| Authors: | Ganga H. Karunamuni Pei Ma Shi Gu Andrew M. Rollins Michael W. Jenkins Michiko Watanabe |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Case Medical Center Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio;2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University School of Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio |
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| Abstract: | Neural crest cells play many key roles in embryonic development, as demonstrated by the abnormalities that result from their specific absence or dysfunction. Unfortunately, these key cells are particularly sensitive to abnormalities in various intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as genetic deletions or ethanol‐exposure that lead to morbidity and mortality for organisms. This review discusses the role identified for a segment of neural crest in regulating the morphogenesis of the heart and associated great vessels. The paradox is that their derivatives constitute a small proportion of cells to the cardiovascular system. Findings supporting that these cells impact early cardiac function raises the interesting possibility that they indirectly control cardiovascular development at least partially through regulating function. Making connections between insults to the neural crest, cardiac function, and morphogenesis is more approachable with technological advances. Expanding our understanding of early functional consequences could be useful in improving diagnosis and testing therapies. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 102:227–250, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
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| Keywords: | neural crest cells cardiogenesis cardiac physiology folic acid optical coherence tomography ethanol prenatal alcohol exposure teratogen |
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