The epicardium is a mesothelial cell layer which contributes to the coronary vessels and
myocardium and acts as an important source of trophic signals to maintain continued growth
and differentiation of the developing heart. The precise lineage potential of the embryonic
epicardium has come under recent scrutiny with notable questions around its capacity to
give rise to derivative vascular endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes. The importance of the
epicardium is not restricted to heart formation. Recent studies in the adult heart have …