Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34977017›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2021

Activin A and ALK4 Identified as Novel Regulators of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Human Epicardial Cells.

Esther Dronkers, Tessa van Herwaarden, Thomas J van Brakel, Gonzalo Sanchez-Duffhues, Marie-José Goumans, Anke M Smits

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 49% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Epicardium-myocardium crosstalk orchestrates heart development.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Epicardial EMT and cardiac repair: an update.Stem cell research & therapy · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Esther DronkersDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Tessa van HerwaardenDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Thomas J van BrakelDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Gonzalo Sanchez-DuffhuesDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Marie-José GoumansDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Anke M SmitsDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Leiden University Medical Center · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The epicardium, the mesothelial layer covering the heart, is a crucial cell source for cardiac development and repair. It provides cells and biochemical signals to the heart to facilitate vascularization and myocardial growth. An essential element of epicardial behavior is epicardial epithelial to mesenchymal transition (epiMT), which is the initial step for epicardial cells to become motile and invade the myocardium. To identify targets to optimize epicardium-driven repair of the heart, it is vital to understand which pathways are involved in the regulation of epiMT. Therefore, we established a cell culture model for human primary adult and fetal epiMT, which allows for parallel testing of inhibitors and stimulants of specific pathways. Using this approach, we reveal Activin A and ALK4 signaling as novel regulators of epiMT, independent of the commonly accepted EMT inducer TGFβ. Importantly, Activin A was able to induce epicardial invasion in cultured embryonic mouse hearts. Our results identify Activin A/ALK4 signaling as a modulator of epicardial plasticity which may be exploitable in cardiac regenerative medicine.

Indexed as

activin AALK4cardiac repair and regenerationEMT—epithelial to mesenchymal transitionepicardiumheartprimary cell culture

Identifiers

PMID34977017
PMCPMC8716764
OpenAlexW4200347088

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.