Heart development begins with the induction of cardiogenic cells from the embryonic
mesoderm, followed by the coalescing of these cells into a linear heart tube. Subsequent
looping of the heart tube brings the rudimentary atria and ventricles into alignment for further
development into the four-chambered heart. Underlying these morphologic events is a
complex program of signaling between cells and tissues that orchestrates their participation
in heart development. Among these signals are bone morphogenetic proteins, fibroblast …