Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli

TL;DR: It is shown that an epicardial-specific knockout of the gene encoding Wilms' tumor-1 (Wt1) leads to a reduction in mesenchymal progenitor cells and their derivatives and will shed light on the pathogenesis of heart diseases and may help the development of cell-based therapies.

TL;DR: This work aims to review herein the main signaling cascades that become activated in angiogenic endothelial cells as well as the opportunities of modulating angiogenesis through pharmacological interference with these signaling mechanisms.

TL;DR: The present paper reviews the current knowledge on the origin and embryonic development of the epicardium and suggests important modulatory roles of the Epicardia and of other proepicardium-derived cells in the differentiation of the embryonic myocardium and cardiac conduction system.

TL;DR: It is reported that at least part of the population of the precursors of the coronary endothelium are epicardially-derived cells (EPDCs), and results suggest that EPDC show similar competence to that displayed by bipotential vascular progenitor cells which are able to differentiate into endothelial or smooth muscle depending on their exposure to VEGF or PDGF-BB.

TL;DR: It is suggested that the proper development of ventricular myocardium is dependent on the invasion of undifferentiated, WT1-positive, retinoic acid-synthesizing EPDCs, and it is proposed that an interaction between E PDCs and endocardial (derived) cells is imperative for correct development of the AV cushions.