Dynamic changes of mRNA expression during development of human embryonic stem cells derived cardiomyocytes

To dissect complex regulatory mechanisms on cardiac development, we performed the time-series gene expression experiments of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiated to cardiomyocytes (CMs). The RNA-sequencing at 4 stages of human to CM maturation, representing timepoints with days 15, 30, 45 and 60 of ESC-CMs. The early CMs from differentiation days (D) 0-15 are commonly considered to be immature and embryonic-like. We define late CMs after D15. During this phase, the cells stop dividing and undergo some degree of maturation. This study established distinct dynamic expression patterns of mRNAs/genes and identified several subsets of up- or down-regulated genes with similar expression patterns during CM differentiation and maturation. Overall design: The RNA-sequencing of mRNA levels were conducted at 4 stages (15, 30, 45 and 60 days, +/- 2 days) of human H7 ESC-directed CM differentiation. Each stage included 3 biological replicates.