Overview
Research in the Bartman Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation centers around the study of the late steps of heart development in zebrafish, specifically development of the endocardial cushions and heart valves.
Congenital heart malformations are a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. The last steps of heart development include formation of the endocardial cushions which will give rise to the septae dividing the two sides of the heart, and formation of the valves which are critical for proper blood flow. Errors in cushion and/or valve development constitute the most common congenital heart malformations, but our scientific understanding of the morphogenetic process of cushion/valve formation and the genes that are involved in this process are limited. Furthermore, recent data has shown that cushion/valve formation is dependent on a complicated interplay of genetic and environmental (epigenetic) factors. The Bartman lab has chosen the zebrafish as the model system for studying heart development because of its unique features of being externally fertilized and transparent, as well having as the ability to be used for powerful forward genetic screens. Techniques/skills used in the lab include the gamut of developmental, genetic and molecular biologic techniques along with zebrafish embryology and husbandry.
Our lab is currently focused on answering the following three questions:
1) What are the morphogenetic steps leading to endocardial cushion and valve formation in the zebrafish?
2) How can we identify the genes which are required for cushion and valve morphogenesis?
3) How/why does early heart function play a large role in controlling late heart development?
We answer these questions through analysis of normal embryos and mutants which lack endocardial cushion and valve development. For an example of the phenotypes visible in zebrafish embryos with normal and abnormal heart development, see our movie page.
We have ongoing openings for researchers to join the lab at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels.
Contact Dr. Bartman or other lab members.
