Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Fishing for Clues

Gene identified as important for fish heart development could provide clues to human heart defects

06 December 2018

Fishing for Clues

The four chambers of our hearts – two atria above two ventricles – started working long before birth, yet how they first form is still a little mysterious. Fortunately, one of our distant ancestors – the zebrafish – may have clues. Here, a high-powered microscope pictures a developing zebrafish heart from different angles. Cells highlighted in blue have a gene called meis2b switched on – in adult fish this one-sided, asymmetric, pattern helps to distinguish the left and right sides of the fish’s single atrium. The human form of meis2b may help to separate our left and right atria chambers during development – a genetic instruction passed down from the fish’s simpler heart. Faults in such genes can lead to congenital heart defects, and zebrafish may soon be called upon again to investigate the causes, and potential treatments, for these human conditions.

Written by John Ankers

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.