Analysis of transcriptome changes in anterior second heart field cells in response to environmental teratogens

In utero exposure to environmental teratogens mid-gestation can cause embryonic heart defects in mouse models. Short-term hypoxia and iron-deficiency both cause cardiac outflow tract defects by E15.5. Such defects usually arise from perturbation of cardiac progenitor cells of the anterior second heart field. The goal of this study is to compare changes in gene expression in response to hypoxia or iron deficiency, and investigate dysregulation of common or distinct pathways. Whole genome gene expression analysis was performed on RNA from anterior second heart field cells isolated by FACS from control, hypoxic and iron-deficient E9.5 embryos expressing the Mef2c-AHF-GFP transgene.