Figure 1. Hand1 neural crest cell loss-of-function leads to a low penetrance of ventricular septal defects.
Whole mount preparations (A-D) and hematoxylin and eosin-stained (E-H) E16.5 hearts and aortic arches in which SHF- (B and F), NCC- (C and G), or both SHF and NCC-specific (D and H) Hand1 has been conditionally ablated reveals rare aortic arch patterning defects (C), and a low penetrance of VSDs (G and H, arrowheads) in NCC Hand1 conditional knockouts. Aortic arches are schematized in A-D. Scale bars = 250 mm. Arrowhead, VSD; Asterisk, PTA; Ao, aorta; LA, left atrium; LCC, left common carotid; LSA, left subclavian artery; LV, left ventricle; RA, right atrium; RCC, right common carotid; RSA, right subclavian artery; RV, right ventricle. (E’-H’) Higher magnification images of E-H to better show structures.