Calreticulin-deficient (crt−/−) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit nuclear flaws.
Dysfunctional nuclear pore complex (NPC) remodeling occurs in crt−/− ESCs.
Impaired nuclear import in crt−/− ESCs drives aberrant cardiogenesis.
Rectified crt−/− ESC calcium dynamics corrects NPC, cardiophenotype abnormalities.
Calcium-dependent crt-NPC signaling is a novel cardiac differentiation regulator.