'ROCK' off: Study establishes molecular link between genetic defect and heart malformation
Monday, February 6, 2012 - 11:30
in Biology & Nature
UNC researchers have discovered how the genetic defect underlying one of the most common congenital heart diseases keeps the critical organ from developing properly. According to the new research, mutations in a gene called SHP-2 distort the shape of cardiac muscle cells so they are unable to form a fully functioning heart.