神经嵴细胞（NCCs）是一类具有多种分化潜能的细胞群，NCCs来源的外周神经在心脏尤其心房处密集分布，但外周神经是否参与心房的发生和发育过程尚不清楚。我们前期研究发现：(1)体外分化的外周神经可以将分化早期的心肌细胞定向诱导形成心房肌样细胞；(2)神经细胞生长因子-3(NT-3)在外周神经－心肌细胞共培养上清表达升高，其受体TrkC在分化早期的心肌细胞表达。据此我们推测：NCCs来源的外周神经在心房肌细胞的定向分化过程中发挥重要作用，NT-3可能是其关键效应分子。本课题拟利用不同来源的干细胞系，采用不用方法形成分化早期的心肌细胞，深入研究NT-3对不同方法产生的分化早期心肌细胞定向诱导形成心房肌样细胞作用的机制。本课题将为建立心房肌细胞定向分化的体外模型建立提供理论和实验依据， 为心房肌细胞的定向分化机制提供新的见解, 对揭示房性心律失常的发生机制和治疗都具有重要意义。

Neural crest cells (NCCs) is a class of cell group with multiple differentiation potential. NCCs derived peripheral neuron was rich in the heart .especially in atrium. But whether peripheral neuron is involved in atrial occurrence and development process is not clear. Our previous studies found that: (1) The in vitro differentiation of peripheral neuron can induce early differentiation of myocardial cells into atrial muscle like cells; (2) neurotrophin factor-3 (NT-3) in neuron-cardiomyocyte coculture supernatant was expressed increasingly, its receptor trkC is highly expressed in the early differentiated cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that NCCs derived peripheral neurons play an important role in the differentiation process of atrial cardiomyocytes. NT-3 may be the key effector molecules. This project intends to use the different sources of stem cell lines, use early stage of cardiomyocytes generate from different methods to check whether NT-3 can drive them into atrial-like cardiomyocytes. This study will provide theoretical and experimental basis for establishing atrial cardiomyocyte differentiation in vitro model, provide new insights of atrial-like cardiomyocytes differentiation mechanism and also has important significance to reveal the atrial arrhythmia pathogenesis and treatment.