Transcriptome analysis identifies id2b as a blood flow sensitive gene

Purpose: To investigate biomechanical cues influencing heart morphogenesis. Methods: Approximate 1000 hearts dissected from 96 hpf Tg(myl7:mCherry) and tricaine-treated Tg(myl7:mCherry) embryos were collected for RNA sequencing. Results: 2,013 up-regulated and 2,517 down-regulated genes were identified. Enrichment analysis of DEGs encoding TFs affected by perturbing biomechanical forces identified several pathways known to be involved in heart development, including the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signaling and Notch signaling pathways. Further analysis demonstrated id2b expression in embryonic hearts depends on blood flow. Conclusions: we analyzed embryonic zebrafish hearts without contractility and identified genes that are regulated by biomechanical forces. Specifically, id2b was identified as a blood flow sensitive gene. 96 hpf Tg(myl7:mCherry) and tricaine-treated Tg(myl7:mCherry) zebrafish hearts were collected for RNA-seq.