MAP kinase activation in avian cardiovascular development.

Signaling pathways mediated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation have multiple functions in the developing cardiovascular system. The localization of diphosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (dp-ERK) was monitored as an indicator of MAPK activation in the forming heart and vasculature of avian embryos. Sustained dp-ERK expression was observed in vascular endothelial cells of embryonic and extraembryonic origins. Although dp-ERK was not detected during early cardiac lineage induction, MAPK activation was observed in the epicardial, endocardial, and myocardial compartments during heart chamber formation. Endocardial expression of dp-ERK in the valve primordia and heart chambers may reflect differential cell growth associated with RTK signaling in the heart. dp-ERK localization in the epicardium, subepicardial fibroblasts, myocardial fibroblasts, and coronary vessels is consistent with MAPK activation in epicardial-derived cell lineages. The complex temporal-spatial regulation of dp-ERK in the heart supports diverse regulatory functions for RTK signaling in different cell populations, including the endocardium, myocardium, and epicardial-derived cells during cardiac organogenesis. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.