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Left–right development

Conserved function for embryonic nodal cilia

Nature volume 418, pages 37–38 (2002)Cite this article

A similar mechanism may underlie the handedness seen in all vertebrate body plans.

Abstract

How left–right handedness originates in the body plan of the developing vertebrate embryo is a subject of considerable debate1,2. In mice, a left–right bias is thought to arise from a directional extracellular flow (nodal flow) that is generated by dynein-dependent rotation of monocilia on the ventral surface of the embryonic node3,4. Here we show that the existence of node monocilia and the expression of a dynein gene that is implicated in ciliary function are conserved across a wide range of vertebrate classes, indicating that a similar ciliary mechanism may underlie the establishment of handedness in all vertebrates.

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Figure 1: Regions of potential left–right signalling in mouse, chick, Xenopus and zebrafish.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Huntsman Cancer Institute and Department of Oncological Sciences, Center for Children, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 84112-5550, Utah, USA

    Jeffrey J. Essner, Molly K. Wagner & H. Joseph Yost

  2. Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Kyle J. Vogan & Clifford J. Tabin

  3. Department of Pediatrics and Cardiology, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Martina Brueckner

Authors
  1. Jeffrey J. Essner
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  2. Kyle J. Vogan
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  3. Molly K. Wagner
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  4. Clifford J. Tabin
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  5. H. Joseph Yost
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  6. Martina Brueckner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. Joseph Yost.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Essner, J., Vogan, K., Wagner, M. et al. Conserved function for embryonic nodal cilia. Nature 418, 37–38 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/418037a

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