homocysteine thiolactone was demonstrated to inhibit the growth of 10–12-day-old chicken embryo cardiac tissue explants at 7 × 10−9 −1 × 10−3 m concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. the maximal cardiotoxic effect of homocysteine thiolactone was detected at 1 × 10−3 m, which corresponds to severe hyperhomocysteinemia. the results of experiments on culturing of cardiac tissue explants in the...

The effect of growth factors on the formation of cardiac mesoderm in the urodele, Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl), has been examined using an in vitro explant system. It has previously been shown that cardiac mesoderm is induced by pharyngeal endoderm during neurula stages in urodeles. In this study, explants of prospective cardiac mesoderm from early neurula stage embryos rarely formed beating c...

The earliest step in heart formation in vertebrates occurs during gastrulation, when cardiac tissue is specified. Dorsoanterior endoderm is thought to provide a signal that induces adjacent mesodermal cells to adopt a cardiac fate. However, the nature of this signalling and the precise role of endoderm are unknown because of the close proximity and interdependence of mesoderm and endoderm durin...

We have isolated a cDNA fragment encoding a portion of the myosin heavy chain alpha-isoform (XMHC alpha) in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis. The XMHC alpha transcript is highly enriched in adult heart RNA and is expressed exclusively in embryonic heart tissue. It therefore provides a tissue-specific marker for cardiac muscle differentiation during early embryogenesis. Using an RNAase protection a...

Post-nodal pieces of the stage-4 chick blastoderms were transected 0-6 mm posterior to Hensen's node and cultured in vitro with and without chicken-heart RNA. After 24 h the explants were fed daily with fresh egg-extract medium for 4 days. On the 4th day pulsating heart was found in the RNA-treated but not in the untreated series. Histological examination revealed that cell differentiation othe...

Haptoglobin is a putative adiposity marker because its concentration in blood is increased in obese humans. The present studies examined haptoglobin release by explants of adipose tissue in primary culture. Haptoglobin was released by explants of human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue at a nearly linear rate over 48 h. Explants of visceral adipose tissue released more haptoglobin than d...

Sympathetic nerves can regenerate after injury to reinnervate target tissues. Sympathetic regeneration is well documented after chronic cardiac ischemia, so we were surprised that the cardiac infarct remained denervated following ischemia-reperfusion (I-R). We used mice to ask if the lack of sympathetic regeneration into the scar was due to blockade by inhibitory extracellular matrix within the...

marfan’s syndrome (mfs) is a genetic disorder associated with autosomal dominant inheritance. in mfs, the most prevalent cause of death is cardiovascular involvement. here we introduce a family with a severe penetration of mfs. eleven members of this family have mfs (father, two daughters, three sons, and five grandchildren). the most common cardiac involvement in our patients was mitral valve ...

parsi zira, bunium persicum (boiss.) b. fedtsch., or black zira, a member of the umbellifera family, is one of the most important medicinal species with high economic value. generally, there is limited information about in vitro culture of bunium persicum. in this study, the effect of various media (ms, b5) and combinations of plant growth regulators, naa and 2,4-d alone or together with kin, o...