BVES and generation of coronary vessels

心脏发育涉及不同细胞类型的生成和相互作用，以形成功能器官。肌细胞、内皮细胞、成纤维细胞、心外膜、血管内皮和平滑肌是构成心脏的主要细胞类型。前心外膜器官是许多这些细胞的来源。它是一种短暂的胚胎结构，其后代形成心外膜和心内动脉，包括冠状动脉。因此，了解前心外膜器官及其后代的作用对于了解心脏发育至关重要。我们已经分离出新的蛋白质，Bves，这是在大多数，如果不是细胞的心外膜器官，迁移心外膜，分层自由迁移间充质和冠状血管平滑肌细胞表达。此外，Bves的亚细胞定位经历了一个戏剧性的变化，这一细胞谱系的分化。我们目前的数据表明，Bves是一种蛋白质，可能在冠状动脉血管发育过程中的细胞粘附中发挥作用。我们的目的是确定Bves是否是一个完整的膜（目的），以确定在体外和器官发生过程中调控Bves功能的结构域（目的2），并确定Bves功能的丧失如何可能改变形态发生（目的3）。综合考虑这些目标，将确定Bves的功能、其在冠状动脉血管生成中的作用以及对冠状动脉血管生物学的基本认识。

Heart development involves the generation and interaction of diverse cell types to form a functional organ. Myocytes, endocardium, fibroblasts, epicardium, vascular endothelium and smooth muscle are the primary cell types that comprise the heart. The pro-epicardial organ is the source of many of these cells. It is a transitory embryonic structure whose progeny form, amongst other structures, the epicardium and intracardiac arteries including the coronary arteries.. Thus, an understanding of the role of the pro-epicardial organ and its progeny is essential for an understanding of heart development. We have isolated novel protein, Bves, that is expressed in most, if not cells of the pro-epicardial organ, migrating epicardial, delaminated freely migratory mesenchyme and coronary vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, the subcellular localization of Bves undergoes a dramatic change with differentiation of this cell lineage. Our current data suggests that Bves is a protein that may play a role in cell adhesion during coronary vessel development. Our aims are to determine whether Bves is an integrated membrane (Aim ), to identify domains that regulate Bves function in vitro and during organogenesis (Aim 2) and to determine how loss of Bves function potentially alters morphogenesis (Aim 3). Taken together these aims will determine the function(s) of Bves, its role in the generation of coronary vessels and basic insight into coronary vessel biology.