Energy Metabolic Phenotype of the Cardiomyocyte During Development, Differentiation, and Postnatal Maturation

Dramatic maturational changes occur in cardiac energy metabolism during cardiac development, differentiation, and postnatal growth. These changes in energy metabolism have important impacts on the ability of the cardiomyocyte to proliferate during early cardiac development, as well as when cardiomyocytes terminally differentiate during later development. During early cardiac development, glycolysis is a major source of energy for proliferating cardiomyocytes. As cardiomyocytes mature and become terminally differentiated, mitochondrial oxidative capacity increases, with fatty acid beta-oxidation becoming a major source of energy for the heart. The increase in mitochondrial oxidative capacity seems to coincide…