Zebrafish Hand2 Antibody / Heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 2

During early zebrafish embryogenesis, Hand2 is expressed in the lateral plate mesoderm and contributes to the specification and differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells. It is particularly important for the formation of the heart tube and for the development of the atrial and ventricular chambers. Hand2 also regulates the migration and function of neural crest cells, which give rise to structures such as the jaw and pharyngeal arches. Loss of Hand2 function in zebrafish leads to severe defects in heart formation, including impaired looping and chamber development, as well as abnormalities in craniofacial structures. Because of its conserved role in vertebrate development, zebrafish Hand2 is widely used as a model for studying congenital heart defects, craniofacial malformations, and the genetic pathways that guide mesodermal and neural crest cell differentiation. Zebrafish Hand2 is a valuable tool in developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and disease modeling, particularly in research focused on cardiac development and structural birth defects.