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The early heart is a simple tube which commences beating during the third week (Day 21-22). Cardiogenic mesenchyme, having reached its destination in the cranial region of the embryo, differentiates into three distinct cell populations:
The cross section of the primitive heart tube shows the position of each of the mesenchymal cell populations.
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These cell populations will, over the course of development, become specialized components of the heart. The following table shows the initial cell populations and their fate.
| Cell Population | Functions and Fates |
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