Immunohistochemical study on the development of the rat heart conduction system using anti-Leu-7 antibody.

Morphological aspects of the heart conduction system have been studied by various histochemical markers. However, the actual presence of markers in the conduction system and its developmental mode remain controversial. We have shown the anti-Leu-7 antibody to cross-react with cells of the rat embryonic heart conduction system by an immuno-electron microscopic study. A comparison was thus made between the results of Leu-7 immunohistochemistry and those by other markers previously used for studying the development of the conduction system. As a result, Leu-7 immunoreactivity proved the most reliable marker for studying the conduction system of the developing rat heart. Examination of the developmental mode of a rat conduction system was facilitated with the use of this marker. The immunoreactivity for Leu-7 initially appeared in the anterior wall of the bulboventricular region at 10 days of development. The development of three internodal tracts and two atrioventricular nodes was demonstrated in the following stage. These primordial atrioventricular nodes, one of which connects to a bundle of His, fused to form a single distinctive node followed by completion of the conduction system in the 18 day fetus.