Kaufman's Atlas of Mouse Development Supplement, 2nd ed

The heart is the first functional organ in the embryo, establishing the blood circulation required to supply the developing embryo with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Whilst the adult mammalian heart has a distinctive 4-chambered structure, it emerges as a single tube, acting as a rudimentary pump. In this chapter, we present anatomical and molecular landmarks to monitor the emergence of the embryonic cardiac tube, focusing on its shape changes, regionalisation, and the different cell populations which contribute to its formation. Advances in 3D imaging and transcriptomics have provided a rich framework to quantify mouse heart development with high resolution, enabling new insight into its emergence.