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Role of the heart beat during early s‐looping of the early embryonic vertebrate heart
Author(s) -
Molinaro Kateri,
ChuLaGraff Quynh,
Ramasubramanian Ashok
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.527.3
Subject(s) - verapamil , heartbeat , embryonic heart , ventricle , medicine , calcium channel blocker , heart rate , incubation , atrium (architecture) , calcium , cardiology , chemistry , endocrinology , anatomy , embryonic stem cell , biochemistry , blood pressure , computer security , computer science , gene , atrial fibrillation
The embryonic vertebrate heart goes through a process known as c‐looping during its development where it forms a distinctive c shape between 36 (stage 10) and 48 (stage 12) hours of incubation. Early s‐looping begins at 48 hours and continues until 56 hours of incubation (stage 16). At this stage, the future ventricle moves to a position below what will become the atrium. Previous studies on c‐looping indicate that the heartbeat is not necessary for c‐looping. However, the role of the heartbeat during early s‐looping is unknown. Here we investigate the role of the heartbeat in the formation of the heart at this stage. Using verapamil, a potent calcium‐channel blocker, chick embryos were isolated and incubated in chick media containing 30μM verapamil for 5 hours. Embryos were imaged before the addition of and immediately after the addition of verapamil, and after the 5 hour incubation. Preliminary studies indicate that verapamil causes the heart to swell and become stiff, resembling a water balloon. These preliminary results suggest that verapamil causes swelling and stiffness similar to heart edema, a known side effect of verapamil and other calcium channel blockers. We will present findings detailing whether or not s‐looping requires verapamil‐mediated heart contractions.