Fibronectin is deposited by injury-activated epicardial cells and is necessary for zebrafish heart regeneration.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Unlike adult mammals, adult zebrafish vigorously regenerate lost heart muscle in response to injury. The epicardium, a mesothelial cell layer enveloping the myocardium, is activated to proliferate after cardiac injury and can contribute vascular support cells or provide mitogens to regenerating muscle. Here, we applied proteomics to identify secreted proteins that are associated with heart regeneration. We found that Fibronectin, a main component of the extracellular matrix, is induced and deposited after cardiac damage. In situ hybridization and transgenic reporter analyses indicated that expression of two fibronectin paralogues, fn1 and fn1b, are induced by injury in epicardial cells, while the itgb3 receptor is induced in cardiomyocytes near the injury site. fn1, the more dynamic of these paralogs, is induced chamber-wide within one day of injury before localizing epicardial Fn1 synthesis to the injury site. fn1 loss-of-function mutations disrupted zebrafish heart regeneration, as did induced expression of a dominant-negative Fibronectin cassette, defects that were not attributable to direct inhibition of cardiomyocyte proliferation. These findings reveal a new role for the epicardium in establishing an extracellular environment that supports heart regeneration.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Wang, J; Karra, R; Dickson, AL; Poss, KD

Published Date

  • October 15, 2013

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 382 / 2

Start / End Page

  • 427 - 435

PubMed ID

  • 23988577

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC3852765

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1095-564X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.08.012

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States