Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and cardiogenesis: timing does matter.

Recent findings in mouse and zebrafish embryos, as well as in embryonic stem cells, emphasize the critical importance of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in the regulation of cardiogenesis, and highlight the exquisite timing and specific cellular responses by which this signaling pathway exerts its influence. These studies clearly demonstrate that the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway plays distinct, even opposing, roles during various stages of cardiac development.