Overview of the molecular mechanisms of cardiac development.

Over the past 4 years remarkable progress has been made in the field of heart development. Several genes that regulate heart development in various model organisms have been cloned, and their functions have been analyzed in vitro and in vivo using molecular biological and genetic engineering techniques. We expect that understanding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac development will lead to better understanding of the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease and hopefully to new therapeutic approaches not only to congenital heart disease but also acquired heart disease such as heart failure.