Publication highlights

Researchers at the Crick have discovered that the heart's own contractions trigger biological signals that guide the formation of a functional beating heart. Their study in zebrafish highlights the heart's ability to remodel and adapt to physiological demands and could also reveal what goes wrong during congenital heart conditions. They followed the early development of the heart's muscular structures, called trabeculae, in zebrafish using live 4D imaging. The team observed that trabeculae don't grow and develop by cell division, as previously thought. Instead, neighbouring cells are recruited to build trabecular complexity, thus increasing the heart's muscle mass and contractile efficiency. Finally, they uncovered a feedback mechanisms between heart contraction and its own development, dictating a healthy pace of growth.