THE EXTRACELLULAR-MATRIX DURING HEART DEVELOPMENT

The embryonic extracellular matrix, which is comprised of glycosaminog lycans, glycoproteins, collagens, and proteoglycans, is believed to pl ay multiple roles during heart morphogenesis. Some of these ECM compon ents appear throughout development, however, certain molecules exhibit an interesting transient spatial and temporal distribution. Due to si gnificant new data that have been gathered predominantly in the past 1 0 years, a comprehensive review of the literature is needed. The inte nt of this review is to highlight work that addresses mechanisms by wh ich extracellular matrix influences vertebrate heart development.