Published online before print December 18, 2003, doi: 10.1161/01.RES.0000112963.79064.09
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Submitted on July 18, 2003
Revised on November 6, 2003
Accepted on December 5, 2003
Development of Proximal Coronary Arteries in Quail Embryonic Heart. Multiple Capillaries Penetrating the Aortic Sinus Fuse to Form Main Coronary Trunk
Katsumi Ando *;
From the Department of Anatomy (K.A., T.Y., H.N.), Saitama Medical School, Saitama, Japan; Junior College (K.A., S.Y.), Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan; and Department of Anatomy (Y.N.), Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ando-k{at}spu.ac.jp.
Studies have shown that the proximal coronary artery (PCA) develops via endothelial ingrowth from the peritruncal ring (PR) of the coronary vasculature. However, the details of PCA formation remain unclear. We examined the development of PCAs in quail embryonic hearts from 5 to 9 days of incubation (embryonic day [ED]) using double-immunostaining for QH1 (quail endothelial marker) and smooth muscle 
-actin. At 6 to 7 ED, several QH1-positive endothelial strands from the PR penetrated the facing sinuses, and in some embryos, several endothelial strands penetrated the posterior (noncoronary) sinus. At 7 to 8 ED, the endothelial strands penetrating the facing sinuses seemed to fuse, forming a proximal coronary stem that was demarcated from the aortic wall by the nascent smooth muscle layer of the coronary artery. By 9 ED, two coronary stems were completely formed, and the endothelial strands previously penetrating the noncoronary sinus had disappeared. Confocal microscopy at 6 ED revealed discontinuous QH1-positive endothelial progenitors in the aortic wall at sites where the endothelial strands would later develop. Observations demonstrate that during the formation of the PCA, endothelial strands from the PR penetrate the facing sinuses and then fuse, whereas those strands penetrating the noncoronary sinus disappear. Thereafter, the coronary artery tunica media demarcates the definitive PCA from the aortic media.
Key words: coronary artery • development • quail embryo • QH1
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