Symmetry OUT, Asymmetry IN

Symmetry

Raquel Lourenço¹ 

[1] ¹Instituto de Medicina Molecular e Instituto de Histologia e Biologia do Desenvolvimento, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal ²Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal

关键词: segmentation clock;    bilateral synchronization;    left-right asymmetry;    organ laterality;   

DOI  :  10.3390/sym2021033

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The formation of a perfect vertebrate body plan poses many questions that thrill developmental biologists. Special attention has been given to the symmetric segmental patterning that allows the formation of the vertebrae and skeletal muscles. These segmented structures derive from bilaterally symmetric units called somites, which are formed under the control of a segmentation clock. At the same time that these symmetric units are being formed, asymmetric signals are establishing laterality in nearby embryonic tissues, allowing the asymmetric placement of the internal organs. More recently, a “shield” that protects symmetric segmentation from the influence of laterality cues was uncovered. Here we review the mechanisms that control symmetric versus asymmetric development along the left-right axis among vertebrates. We also discuss the impact that these studies might have in the understanding of human congenital disorders characterized by congenital vertebral malformations and abnormal laterality phenotypes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.