Candidate gene expression of primary cardiomyocytes in cardiovasular embryoid bodies

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate in vitro into spontaneously contracting cardiomyocytes and produce a model to investigate the early developmental stages of this system. After removing of cells from their feeder layer, hESCs create embryoid bodies (EB). Plating of EB results in developing areas of beating cells. In the present study, cardiomyocyte gene expression time-points during heart development was investigated.
After stem cell culture, cardiomyocyte’s mRNA was extracted in different time-points after differentiation. The expression pattern of candidate genes CD-34, OCT-4, Brachyury, Alpha-cardiac actin, FLK1 (Vegfr2/KDR), ANF, MLC-2a, and MLC-2v was analyzed in human EB (hEB) by RT-PCR.
There was an enhanced expression of CD-34 from day 21 in EB in suspension. The OCT-4 gene expression was in 5-day-old EB and Brachyury expression was significantly increased by day 21. There was an enhanced expression of as Alpha-cardiac actin from day 10 in EB in suspension. The FLK1 (Vegfr-2/KDR) gene expression was first specified in 4-day-old EB and was significantly increased by day 14. There was an enhanced expression of MLC-2a and MLC-2v from day 20 and ANF by day 45 in EB in suspension.
hESCs might be useful as an effective model system for understanding the developmental processes and functioning of the human heart.