The endocardial cushion is a specialized region of mesenchymal cells that will give rise to the heart septa and valves[GO]. Swellings of tissue present between the endocardial and myocardial cell layers that will give rise to the interstitial cells of the cardiac valves[ZFA]. [ http://amigo.geneontology.org/amigo/term/GO:0003197 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrioventricular_cushions http://zfin.org/curator ]

Synonyms: endocardial cushion tissue cardiac cushion atrioventricular cushion AV cushion

This is just here as a test because I lose it

Term information

database cross reference
Subsets

uberon_slim, pheno_slim, vertebrate_core

plural term
endocardial cushions

axiom lost from external ontology

relationship loss: develops_from endocardial ring (TAO:0005072)[TAO]

comment

GO graph seems to suggest this is an endothelium. WP: The endocardial cushions are thought to arise from a subset of endothelial cells that undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transformation, a process whereby these cells break cell-to-cell contacts and migrate into the cardiac jelly (towards to interior of the heart tube). Latest (2010-06-01) new def suggested for GO, added above. Note that EHDAA2 has a more detailed model which we may later adopt. JB: Patterning makes the cushions lay down connective tissue in three domains that force out the local endothelial lining and so the leaflets form

depicted by

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Gray465.png

external definition

Swellings of tissue present between the endocardial and myocardial cell layers that will give rise to the interstitial cells of the cardiac valves.[TAO]

has related synonym

atrioventricular canal cushion

endocardial cushions

homology notes

(Cardiac valve formation in vertebrates) In response to a myocardial signal, endocardial cells at chamber boundaries take on a mesenchymal character, delaminate and migrate into the cardiac jelly. There, they form an endocardial cushion that is later remodelled into a valve.[well established][VHOG]

id

UBERON:0002062