Transcriptional Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Maturation
WANG Haocun, OUYANG Zhaohui, WEI Ke*
Immature embryonic cardiomyocytes in mammals undergo a series of transformation after birth to become mature adult cardiomyocytes. The size and shape, cell cycle, metabolism, and electrophysiology of the cardiomyocytes all go through drastic changes during the maturation process, which determines the state and function of adult cardiomyocytes, and especially their limited regenerative capacity. And the maturation process is affected in multiple congenital heart diseases, predisposing the patients to adult heart conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to examine this important process in detail, and dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms, for better understanding the limited proliferative capacity of adult cardiomyocytes, and congenital heart diseases, as well as finding drug targets for treating heart diseases. The maturation process of cardiomyocytes is induced by multiple postnatal stimuli, and is regulated by a highly orchestrated transcriptional program. Currently, the research on the molecular mechanism of this process is entering a new era of massive new data and new theories, thanks to new technologies and new tools available. This review summarizes the explorations in the last few decades on the phenotypic changes during cardiomyocyte maturation, with an emphasis on the transcriptional regulation of the process, and discusses possible future discoveries and theories.
CN
EN