Lineages of the Cardiac Conduction System

• Main Authors: Rajiv Mohan, Bas J. Boukens, Vincent M. Christoffels
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-05-01
• Series: Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease
• Subjects: cell lineage; lineage tracing; cardiac conduction system; cardiac conduction system lineage; genetic fate map; genetic inducible fate map; cardiac development
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2308-3425/4/2/5

The cardiac conduction system (CCS) initiates and coordinately propagates the electrical impulse to orchestrate the heartbeat. It consists of a set of interconnected components with shared properties. A better understanding of the origin and specification of CCS lineages has allowed us to better comprehend the etiology of CCS disease and has provided leads for development of therapies. A variety of technologies and approaches have been used to investigate CCS lineages, which will be summarized in this review. The findings imply that there is not a single CCS lineage. In contrast, early cell fate decisions segregate the lineages of the CCS components while they remain connected to each other.