Immunohistochemical mapping of BMP4 in developing chick heart.

BMP4 plays an important role in cardiogenesis. BMP4 was immunohistochemically mapped in the myocardium of the outflow tract, the walls of the atria and the ventricular myocardium of 5-6 day old chick heart. In mice, BMP4 is essential for proper atrioventricular septation and outflow tract septation. Though BMP4 is crucial for cardiogenesis and cardiac morphogenesis, very limited data is available on BMP4 function in developing chick heart.With the use of immunohistochemistry, we mapped the spatial domains of BMP4 in developing chick embryos (HH18-24) using a polyclonal goat antibody, raised against human BMP4. We have shown for the first time the presence of BMP4 in the interatrial septum and the atrioventricular septum of chick hearts. We have also expanded the data available on BMP4 spatial domains in different regions of the heart during development