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Diversity and convergence in the mechanisms establishing L/R asymmetry in metazoa
Jean-Baptiste Coutelis1, Nicanor González-Morales1, Charles Géminard1
1Institut de Biologie Valrose University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France CNRS Institut de Biologie Valrose UMR 7277, Nice, France INSERM Institut de Biologie Valrose U1091, Nice, France.
Abstract:
Differentiating left and right hand sides during embryogenesis represents a major event in body patterning. Left-Right (L/R) asymmetry in bilateria is essential for handed positioning, morphogenesis and ultimately the function of organs (including the brain), with defective L/R asymmetry leading to severe pathologies in human. How and when symmetry is initially broken during embryogenesis remains debated and is a major focus in the field. Work done over the past 20 years, in both vertebrate and invertebrate models, has revealed a number of distinct pathways and mechanisms important for establishing L/R asymmetry and for spreading it to tissues and organs. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge and discuss the diversity of L/R patterning from cells to organs during evolution.
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