Fig 4.

CHF1-deficient mice develop failure to thrive. (a) A 4-day-old knockout mouse, compared with a heterozygous littermate. Wild-type and heterozygotes from the same litter were indistinguishable. (b–d) A 5-day-old runted mouse was found dead. Sections stained with hematoxylin/eosin showed a large VSD (indicated by *, b), pulmonary congestion (c), and liver congestion (d), suggesting the presence of heart failure in association with a VSD. (e) Pathology of a knockout mouse that survived into adulthood but died at 12 weeks of age. Note the presence of biventricular enlargement, suggesting the presence of cardiomyopathy. (f) Higher-power view of the same knockout heart showing endocardial calcification and interstitial fibrosis. RV, right ventricle; LV, left ventricle.