Endothelial Cell Signaling and Differentiation

During the past decade, single gene disruption in mice and large-scale mutagenesis screens in zebrafish have elucidated many fundamental genetic pathways that govern early heart patterning and differentiation. Specifically, a number of genes have been revealed serendipitously to play important and selective roles in cardiac valve development. These initially surprising results have now converged on a finite number of signaling pathways that regulate endothelial proliferation and differentiation in developing and postnatal heart valves. This review highlights the roles of the most well-established ligands and signaling pathways, including VEGF, NFATc1, Notch, Wnt/ -catenin, BMP/TGF, ErbB, and NF1/Ras. Based on the interactions among and relative timing of these pathways, a signaling network model for heart valve development is proposed. (Circ Res. 2004;95:459-470.)