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Left-right asymmetry in vertebrates

Y Almirantis1

  • 1Institute of Biology, NRC Demokritos, Athens, Greece.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|January 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Chirality at the molecular level may be the fundamental source of left-right body asymmetry in organisms. This proposed mechanism explains experimental findings in situs inversus and mouse mutations.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Left-right asymmetry is a fundamental feature of higher organisms.
  • The origins of this asymmetry are not fully understood.
  • Molecular chirality is a known phenomenon with potential biological implications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a mechanism for the generation of morphological left-right asymmetry.
  • To link molecular chirality to macroscopic asymmetry in biological systems.
  • To provide a unifying explanation for experimental observations.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical proposal of a mechanism.
  • Analysis of existing experimental data on situs inversus.
  • Comparison with genetic mutation data in mice.

Main Results:

  • A mechanism is proposed where molecular chirality is the source of macroscopic asymmetry.
  • The mechanism accounts for experimental results on artificial situs inversus.
  • The proposed mechanism aligns with findings from mouse mutations causing visceral transposition.

Conclusions:

  • Molecular chirality offers a plausible primordial source for biological left-right asymmetry.
  • This mechanism provides a framework for understanding situs inversus and related phenomena.
  • Further research can explore the specific molecular pathways involved.

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