ABSTRACT
The NOTCH signaling pathway is an evolutionarily highly conserved signaling pathway that regulates various cellular physiological processes by conducting signals between adjacent cells,and is important for cell fate,cell development,differentiation,proliferation,apoptosis,adhesion,and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.The NOTCH pathway involves almost all aspects of cardiac development,including primitive heart patterning,and cardiac morphogenesis,which play a crucial role in cardiac development and postnatal cardiac homeostasis.It has been found that the conduction abnormality of the NOTCH pathway and the mutation of the NOTCH signal components are closely related to a series of congenital heart defects.Furthermore,NOTCH signaling can repair myocardial injury by promoting myocardial regeneration,protecting ischemic myocardium,inducing angiogenesis,and negatively regulating cardiac fibroblast-myofibroblast transformation.This article will focus on the role of NOTCH signaling pathways in mammalian hearts and its advances in congenital heart disease.