| Cdx family members are caudal-related transcription factors that were first identified in Drosophila to play important roles in oocyte development. In mammalian cells, there are three Cdx genes, Cdx1, cdx2and cdx4. They all participate in anterior-posterior patterning during embryonic development, but are functionally distinctive. For example, Cdxl and cdx2are both requiredin intestinal epithelial proliferation and differentiation, while Cdxl was found to act as a regulator in heart development. In addition, cdx2cooperates with oct4in fate determination of inner cell mass and trophectoderm cells. cdx2and cdx4both play roles in hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation as well as leukemia formation.Heart is one of the first structures formed during organogenesis, and starts to beat on Dpc8.5,. On Dpc9.5-Dpc11.5, a cluster of proepicardium cells migrate to the heart tube and adhere to the heart surface and developed as the epicardium cells. From El1.5, these epicardium cells proliferate and migrate into the heart to become the vascular smooth muscle cells and myofibroblast, as well as a small portion of cardiomyocytes. So far, the functional relationship between Cdxl and epicardium development remain elusive. In this study, we discovered that Cdxl is expressed in epicardial cells at El1.5. We further denonstrated that the ectopic expression of Cdxl on El1.5, promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of epicardial cells, but its continuous high expression will inhibit the migration the epicardium derived cells and reduced its differentiation into vascular smooth muscles. Therefore, our research will shed light on how Cdxl affects epicardium development. |
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