RECENT ADVANCES IN THE LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY

This article highlights some of the research in cardiac molecular biol ogy in progress in the Department of Cardiology at Children's Hospital . It provides a sampling of investigative approaches to key questions in cardiovascular development and function and, as such, is intended a s an overview rather than a comprehensive treatment of these problems. The featured projects, encompassing four different ''model'' systems, include (1) genetic analysis of the mef2 gene required for fruit fly cardial cell differentiation, (2) cardiac-specific homeobox factors in zebrafish cardiovascular development, (3) mouse transgenic and gene k nockout models of cardiac potassium ion channel function, and (4) mapp ing and identification of human gene mutations causing long QT syndrom e.