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The laboratory is located at the Medical school of Marseille, in a research unit of the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the Aix Marseille University (AMU). Our current research projects are supported by the ANR, the AFM-Telethon and the FRM... Our work over the past few years has established the role of the vitamin A derivative, retinoic acid, in defining the boundaries of presumptive heart fields during early development. Inhibition of retinoic acid signaling leads to expansion of cardiac progenitor pools. We have also shown that certain Hox genes, downstream targets of retinoic acid, are expressed in a distinct domain of future myocardium known as the second heart field, which contribute cells to the future atria and outflow tract. Using mutant mice, we have demonstrated that Hoxb1 regulates proliferation and differentiation of specific progenitors and genetically interacts with Hoxa1 during cardiac outflow tract development. We continue to study the..

Primary location: Marseille France