# How the zebrafish heart rebuilds itself

> A recovery-curve graphical abstract: after losing part of its ventricle, the zebrafish heart climbs back to whole muscle over about two months. Wound-edge cardiomyocytes dedifferentiate and divide, the epicardium and endocardium build a regenerative scaffold, and the new muscle becomes electrically coupled — with no permanent scar.

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- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: A ventricle that has lost ~20% of its muscle to resection (or ~25% to cryoinjury)
- Product: A fully regenerated, electrically coupled ventricle within about two months
- Key result: 20% of the ventricle resected and fully regenerated in ~2 months (Poss et al. 2002); cardiomyocyte proliferation peaks ~7 dpi, electrical coupling by ~30 dpi (Kikuchi et al. 2010; review 2017)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 87 editable layers

## Steps

1. **Day 0 · injury and clot**: Resection of ~20% of the ventricle bleeds briefly, then a fibrin clot seals the wound (Poss et al. 2002); cryoinjury (~25%) instead forms a transient fibrotic scar (González-Rosa et al. 2011)
2. **~Day 7 · dedifferentiate and divide**: Wound-edge cardiomyocytes disassemble their sarcomeres, detach and re-enter the cell cycle (plk1-dependent); gata4+ subepicardial cells contribute most of the new muscle (Jopling et al. 2010; Kikuchi et al. 2010). Proliferation peaks ~7 dpi (review 2017)
3. **Scaffold · epicardium & endocardium**: The epicardium expands over the wound, undergoes EMT and builds new vessels (Fgf-dependent); the endocardium proliferates (peak 3–5 dpi) — together a regenerative scaffold (Lepilina et al. 2006; review 2017)
4. **30–60 days · whole and coupled**: New muscle fills the wound and becomes electrically coupled to the old between 2 and 4 weeks (Kikuchi et al. 2010); the ventricle is restored in 30–60 dpi with no permanent scar (Poss et al. 2002)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on cardiac regeneration and the zebrafish model
- Talks on cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation
- Teaching why fish hearts regenerate and mammalian hearts scar

## References

1. Poss, Wilson & Keating, “Heart regeneration in zebrafish”, Science 2002. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1077857 (method origin)
2. Lepilina et al., “A dynamic epicardial injury response supports progenitor cell activity during zebrafish heart regeneration”, Cell 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2006.08.052 (primary)
3. Jopling et al., “Zebrafish heart regeneration occurs by cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation”, Nature 2010. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08899 (primary)
4. Kikuchi et al., “Primary contribution to zebrafish heart regeneration by gata4+ cardiomyocytes”, Nature 2010. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08804 (primary)
5. González-Rosa et al., “Extensive scar formation and regression during heart regeneration after cryoinjury in zebrafish”, Development 2011. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.060897 (primary)
6. González-Rosa, Burns & Burns, “Zebrafish heart regeneration: 15 years of discoveries”, Regeneration 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/reg2.83 (review)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Poss et al., Science 2002 (doi:10.1126/science.1077857); Lepilina et al., Cell 2006 (doi:10.1016/j.cell.2006.08.052); Jopling et al. and Kikuchi et al., Nature 2010 (doi:10.1038/nature08899, 10.1038/nature08804).

## Questions

**What does the “How the zebrafish heart rebuilds itself” template show?** A recovery-curve graphical abstract: after losing part of its ventricle, the zebrafish heart climbs back to whole muscle over about two months. Wound-edge cardiomyocytes dedifferentiate and divide, the epicardium and endocardium build a regenerative scaffold, and the new muscle becomes electrically coupled — with no permanent scar.

**What are the steps shown in “How the zebrafish heart rebuilds itself”?** 1. Day 0 · injury and clot: Resection of ~20% of the ventricle bleeds briefly, then a fibrin clot seals the wound (Poss et al. 2002); cryoinjury (~25%) instead forms a transient fibrotic scar (González-Rosa et al. 2011). 2. ~Day 7 · dedifferentiate and divide: Wound-edge cardiomyocytes disassemble their sarcomeres, detach and re-enter the cell cycle (plk1-dependent); gata4+ subepicardial cells contribute most of the new muscle (Jopling et al. 2010; Kikuchi et al. 2010). Proliferation peaks ~7 dpi (review 2017). 3. Scaffold · epicardium & endocardium: The epicardium expands over the wound, undergoes EMT and builds new vessels (Fgf-dependent); the endocardium proliferates (peak 3–5 dpi) — together a regenerative scaffold (Lepilina et al. 2006; review 2017). 4. 30–60 days · whole and coupled: New muscle fills the wound and becomes electrically coupled to the old between 2 and 4 weeks (Kikuchi et al. 2010); the ventricle is restored in 30–60 dpi with no permanent scar (Poss et al. 2002).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: A ventricle that has lost ~20% of its muscle to resection (or ~25% to cryoinjury). Product: A fully regenerated, electrically coupled ventricle within about two months.

**Which papers is “How the zebrafish heart rebuilds itself” based on?** Poss, Wilson & Keating, “Heart regeneration in zebrafish”, Science 2002 (doi:10.1126/science.1077857); Lepilina et al., “A dynamic epicardial injury response supports progenitor cell activity during zebrafish heart regeneration”, Cell 2006 (doi:10.1016/j.cell.2006.08.052); Jopling et al., “Zebrafish heart regeneration occurs by cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation and proliferation”, Nature 2010 (doi:10.1038/nature08899); Kikuchi et al., “Primary contribution to zebrafish heart regeneration by gata4+ cardiomyocytes”, Nature 2010 (doi:10.1038/nature08804); González-Rosa et al., “Extensive scar formation and regression during heart regeneration after cryoinjury in zebrafish”, Development 2011 (doi:10.1242/dev.060897); González-Rosa, Burns & Burns, “Zebrafish heart regeneration: 15 years of discoveries”, Regeneration 2017 (doi:10.1002/reg2.83).

**Can I edit the “How the zebrafish heart rebuilds itself” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 87 layers are editable. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

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