The Cre-loxP-mediated genetic lineage tracing system is essential for constructing the fate mapping of single-cell progeny or cell populations.Understanding the structural hierarchy of cardiac progenitor cells facilitates unraveling cell fate and origin issues in cardiac development.Several prospective Cre-loxP-based superdry baseball top lineage-tracing systems have been used to analyze precisely the fate determination and developmental characteristics of endocardial cells (ECs), epicardial cells, and cardiomyocytes.Therefore, emerging lineage-tracing techniques advance the study of cardiovascular-related cellular plasticity.In this review, we illustrate the principles and methods of the emerging Cre-loxP-based genetic lineage here tracing technology for trajectory monitoring of distinct cell lineages in the heart.
The comprehensive demonstration of the differentiation process of single-cell progeny using genetic lineage tracing technology has made outstanding contributions to cardiac development and homeostasis, providing new therapeutic strategies for tissue regeneration in congenital and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).