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. 2007 Feb 13;64(6):692–703. doi: 10.1007/s00018-007-6522-3

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Spreading and migration of EPDCs. (a) Whole-mount quail embryo (HH16) stained for HNK1, showing a clearly demarcated proepicardial organ (PEO) at the venous pole of the heart, (b) Schematic representation indicating (arrows) the direction of growth of the epicardium over the myocardial tube. (c–e) Schematic drawing of increasing ages with the migration pattern of the EPDCs. (c) HH24: epicardial cells cover the heart tube, and EPDCs (star shaped, grey) enter the myocardium and, through gaps, the subendocardial layer. The endocardial cushion is still devoid of EPDCs. (d) HH28: the compact myocardium is formed, and EPDCs have entered all cardiac components. Note the contribution to the formed atrioventricular sulcus and the endocardial cushions, (e) HH35: the coronary vasculature has grown into the aorta, and EPDCs through EMT (cuboid cells) now also contribute to the coronary arterial vascular wall. OT, outflow tract; SV, sinus venosus; PEO, proepicardial organ; AVC, atrioventricular cushion; EPDC, epicardium-derived cell; Ep, epicardium; V, ventricle; A, atrium; AVS, atrioventricular sulcus; EC, endothelial cell; SMC, smooth muscle cell; Fb, fibroblast, CA, coronary artery; Ao, aorta.