Since we acquired seven MR slices for the whole mouse heart, imperfect definition of the valve plane could have had an impact on the final calculation of the corresponding left ventricular volumes as well as on the LVEF.
Some mice also presented heart valve melanosis, which is a common finding in aged mice of various strains.
Even more intriguing, the team discovered that the mutant protein failed to stop cells from spewing calcium into the valve cells of mouse heart tissue.
Such view is also in line with the expression of CXCR7 on the heart valves of adult mice.
In the current study we report a novel and essential role for Erg during valve morphogenesis in the developing mouse heart.
For instance, the Sos1-mutant mice develop unique cardiac phenotypes, such as the growth of excessive connective tissue and defects in different heart valves to those affected in the Shp2-mutant mice.
Aortic valves were dissected from adult and aged mouse heart from Emilin1−/− or Emilin1+/+ mice.
Cardiac and aortic abnormalities including the appearance of ectopic chondrogenic nodules and myxomatous heart valves were observed in heterozygous (Adamts9 +/−) mice [ 31] and myxomatous heart valves were also observed in Adamts5−/− mice.
