Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of The EMBO Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-025-00441-0 Dr. Shayma Abukar et al.
Points
- Researchers used light-sheet microscopy to track individual mesodermal cells in mouse embryos over 40 hours, revealing how early cardiac progenitors contribute to specific heart regions like the left ventricle and atria.
- The study showed that distinct cardiac progenitors emerge at different times and follow specific migratory patterns, forming key structures such as the cardiac crescent and inflow tract.
- Multipotent progenitor cells displayed broader migratory behavior and contributed to cardiac and non-cardiac tissues, highlighting their plasticity and role in early tissue specification.
- Migration speed and directionality varied by cell fate, with endocardial progenitors moving faster than others, including those that eventually form the pericardium.
- These findings challenge previous models by showing organized, fate-dependent migration patterns and may inform regenerative therapies for congenital heart defects and tissue engineering.
Summary
This study uses advanced light-sheet microscopy to investigate the origins and migration patterns of cardiac cells in mouse embryos during gastrulation and early heart development. Researchers tracked individual mesodermal cells as they migrated and divided over 40 hours, from gastrulation to heart tube formation. The study revealed that distinct progenitor cells emerge at specific times to contribute to different heart parts, including the left ventricle and atria. Early progenitors formed the cardiac crescent, while atrial progenitors formed the inflow tract during heart morphogenesis. The study also identified multipotent progenitors with greater migratory diversity, contributing to various cardiac and non-cardiac tissues. This detailed tracking allowed the creation of lineage trees and migration maps, offering a new perspective on early heart development.
The study found that progenitors destined for different parts of the heart, including the left ventricle, atrial myocytes, and endocardium, exhibited distinct migration behaviors. Left ventricle and atrial progenitors showed early and late differentiation patterns, respectively, with multipotent progenitors displaying broader migratory paths. These multipotent cells demonstrated significant plasticity, with progeny dispersing widely within the anterior mesoderm. The speed and directionality of migration varied based on the progenitor’s final destination, with endocardial cells displaying increased speed compared to other progenitors, particularly those giving rise to the pericardium.
This work provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of heart formation and challenges previous models of cardiac fate determination. The findings suggest that early cardiac progenitors follow predefined paths, not random migration, indicating a more organized process than previously thought. The study’s results could inform new therapeutic approaches for congenital heart defects, potentially guiding the development of regenerative medicine techniques for heart tissue engineering. Understanding these early processes may also lead to new strategies for preventing or treating heart-related congenital disabilities.
Link to the article: https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44318-025-00441-0
References Abukar, S., Embacher, P. A., Ciccarelli, A., Varsani-Brown, S., North, I. G. W., Dean, J. A., Briscoe, J., & Ivanovitch, K. (2025). Early coordination of cell migration and cardiac fate determination during mammalian gastrulation. The EMBO Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-025-00441-0
