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://zfin.org/curator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrioventricular_cushions ]
Synonyms: endocardial cushion tissue cardiac cushion AV cushion atrioventricular cushion
Term information
- FMA:70302
- VHOG:0000932
- TAO:0001317
- ZFA:0001317
- Wikipedia:Atrioventricular_cushions
- XAO:0004189
- EHDAA2:0000434
- MA:0000078
- EHDAA:2586
- MESH:D054089
- EHDAA2:0004028
- EMAPA:16696
uberon_slim, pheno_slim, vertebrate_core
Swellings of tissue present between the endocardial and myocardial cell layers that will give rise to the interstitial cells of the cardiac valves.[TAO]
(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]
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