SWI / SNF in cardiac progenitor cell differentiation

Cardiogenesis requires proper specification, proliferation, and differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). The differentiation of CPCs to specific cardiac cell types is likely guided by a comprehensive network comprised of cardiac transcription factors and epigenetic complexes. In this review, we describe how the ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complexes work synergistically with transcription and epigenetic factors to direct specific cardiac gene expression during CPC differentiation. Furthermore, we discuss how SWI/SNF may prime chromatin for cardiac gene expression at a genome‐wide level. A detailed understanding of SWI/SNF‐mediated CPC differentiation will provide important insight into the etiology of cardica defects and help design novel therapies for heart disease. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 2437–2445, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.