Fig. 1: Sox17 expression in the aortic root endothelium is necessary for heart development and embryonic survival.
From: A SOX17-PDGFB signaling axis regulates aortic root development
a Schematic view of aortic root (AR) shows the anatomic relationship of aortic valve, aortic sinus and coronary ostium. LCL/RCL/NCL: left, right and non-coronary leaflet; LCO/RCO: left and right coronary ostium, LCA/RCA: left and right coronary artery. b Representative immunofluorescence (IF) (n = 3/group) shows specific and developmentally regulated SOX17 expression (red) in the aortic root endothelium of E11.5 and E14.5 hearts. c IF (n = 5/group) shows diminished SOX17 expression (red) in the aortic root endothelium of E12.5 Sox17eKO hearts. AV: aortic valve. d IF (n = 5/group) shows reduced SOX17 expression (red) in the aortic root endothelium in E15.5 Sox17eKO hearts. Note that the SOX17 expression in the coronary artery endothelium is not affected by the valve specific deletion using the transgenic Nfatc1-enhancer Cre which expresses specifically in the aortic root endothelium including the valve endothelium. e H&E staining (n = 5/group) of frontal (top panels) and transverse sections (bottom panels) show thin ventricular wall in all 8 E16.5 Sox17eKO embryos examined. LV/RV: left and right ventricle. f Echocardiography (n = 3/group) shows decreased aortic velocity in E16.5 Sox17eKO hearts. Scale bar: 100 µm in b–d, 200 µm in e.
