Role Of Primary Cilia On Epicardial Cells Located In The Atrioventricular Junction

Primary cilia are essential for the proper development of mammalian tissue. By signaling through the hedgehog pathway, cilia act as a signaling hub in order to coordinate many processes during development. Previous research has shown cilia are involved in coordinating L-R asymmetry of the heart (Koefoed, 2013). The goal of this research is to clarify the role that epicardial cells play in the development of the heart. Epicardial cells migrate inwards through the atrioventricular junction (AV junction) as the heart develops. It was hypothesized that primary cilia play a role in the migration of epicardial cells through the AV junction. In order to determine if epicardial cells have primary cilia, immunohistochemistry was used. Fifteen µm thick sections of embryos from a WT1cre+/Rosa26f/f mouse were stained to locate epicardial cells and primary cilia. Three-dimensional reconstructions were generated using images taken of these stained sections. The results showed localization of primary cilia to epicardial cells. In further research, WT1cre+/Rosa26f/f/IFT88f/f mice will be used to determine how the AV junction develops in the absence of cilia, predicting that this would lead to abnormalities of the tissues to which the epicardial cells typically contribute.