1. Determination of factors governing induction and patterning of cardiac conduction system
2. Developmental mechanisms of arrhythimas
3. Development of ventricular myocardial architecture

1. Molecular mechanisms of ventricular conduction systém induction (B. Sebestova). This project is testing potential signaling cascades implicated in differentiation of specialized conductive tissues from working cardiomyocytes.


2. Developmental mechanisms of arrhythimas (J. Benes). In adult cardiology, there is a renewed interest in studying cardiac developments, since numerous pathologies such as heart failure are characterized by re-activation of fetal gene expression program. We are therefore analyzing the rat model of heart failure from this perspective as well as studying the prenatal origin of selected arrhythmias.


3. One crucial event in transition from embryonic to fetal myocardial architecture is development of compact myocardium dependent on coronary perfusion. Failure of this process is prenatally lethal if complete, or forms the basis of non-compacted cardiomyopathy. We are trying to elucidate possible mechanisms of this process, mainly in the avian model.


4. Role of thyroid hormones in brain and heart maturation (M. Skacha). Effects of prenatal hypothyreosis upon conduction systém maturation and synaptogenesis are studied in the rat model. The main hypothesis states that uncorrected prenatal thyroid deficit leats to subtle, but irreversible changes.

Publications