First and second heart field

Abstract

The heart forms from the first and second heart fields which contribute to distinct regions of the myocardium. This is supported by clonal analyses which identify corresponding first and second cardiac cell lineages in the heart. Progenitor cells of the second heart field and its subdomains are controlled by a gene regulatory network and by signalling pathways which determine their behaviour. Multipotent cells in this field also can contribute cardiac endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Furthermore skeletal muscles of the head and neck are related clonally to myocardial cells that form the arterial and venous poles of the heart. These lineage relationships, together with the genes that regulate the heart fields, have major implications for congenital heart disease.