Remodeling of the myocardium in early trabeculation and cardiac valve formation; a role for TGFβ2.

Trabeculation and the formation of the leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid valves both involve remodeling of the embryonic myocardium. The nature and possible connection of these myocardial remodeling processes, however, are unclear. Therefore, we examined the morphogenesis of the early ventricular and atrioventricular (AV) myocardium and report for the first time that the formation of the early trabeculae and the positioning of the valve primordia (endocardial cushions) into the ventricular lumen are part of one continuous myocardial remodeling process, which involves the dissociation of the myocardial layers. For the endocardial cushions, this process results in delamination from the AV myocardium. The AV myocardium that will harbor the right lateral cushion is the exception and becomes positioned in the ventricular lumen by folding of the right ventricle. As a consequence, remodeling of the left and right AV myocardium occurs differently with implications for the formation of the mural leaflets and annulus fibrosis. At both the right and left side, the valvular myocardium harbors a distinct molecular phenotype and its removal from the cardiac leaflets involves a second wave of delamination. Interestingly, in the TGFβ2-KO mouse, which is a known model for cushion and valve defects, remodeling of the early myocardium is disturbed as indicated by defective trabeculae formation, persistence of valvular myocardium, disturbed myocardial phenotypes and differential defects at left and right side of the AV canal. Based on these results we propose a new model clarifying early trabeculae formation and AV valve formation and provide new inroads for an enhanced understanding of congenital heart defects.