Harefield Heart Science Centre, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hill End Road, Harefield, Middlesex, UK.
J Cardiovasc Transl Res. 2012 Oct;5(5):641-53. doi: 10.1007/s12265-012-9377-4. Epub 2012 Jun 1.
The epicardium forms an epithelial layer on the surface of the heart. It is derived from a cluster of mesothelial cells, which is termed the proepicardium. The proepicardium gives rise not only to the epicardium but also to epicardium-derived cells. These cells populate the myocardial wall and differentiate into smooth muscle cells, fibroblast, and possibly endothelial cells. In this review, the formation of the proepicardium is discussed. Marker genes, suitable to identify these cells in the embryo and in the adult, are introduced. Recent evidence suggests that the PE is made up of distinct cell populations. These cell lineages can be distinguished on the basis of marker gene expression and differ in their differentiation potential. The role of the epicardium as a resource for cardiac stem cells and its importance in cardiac regeneration is also discussed.
心外膜在心的表面形成上皮层。它来源于一簇间皮细胞，称为心外膜原基。心外膜原基不仅产生心外膜，还产生心外膜衍生细胞。这些细胞在心肌壁中增殖并分化为平滑肌细胞、成纤维细胞，可能还有内皮细胞。本文讨论了心外膜原基的形成。介绍了适合在胚胎和成年期识别这些细胞的标记基因。最近的证据表明，PE 由不同的细胞群组成。这些细胞谱系可以基于标记基因表达来区分，并且在分化潜力上存在差异。本文还讨论了心外膜作为心脏干细胞的来源及其在心脏再生中的重要性。
