PUBLICATION

Retinoic acid signalling links left-right asymmetric patterning and bilaterally symmetric somitogenesis in the zebrafish embryo

Authors
Kawakami, Y., Raya, A., Raya, R.M., Rodriguez-Esteban, C., and Izpisúa Belmonte, J.C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-050513-14
Date
2005
Source
Nature   435(7039): 165-171 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Izpisúa Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Kawakami, Yasuhiko, Raya, Angel, Raya, Marina, Rodriguez-Esteban, Concepcion
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Body Patterning/physiology*
  • Cilia/physiology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/embryology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Somites/cytology
  • Somites/metabolism*
  • Tretinoin/metabolism*
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/metabolism*
PubMed
15889082 Full text @ Nature
Abstract
During embryogenesis, cells are spatially patterned as a result of highly coordinated and stereotyped morphogenetic events. In the vertebrate embryo, information on laterality is conveyed to the node, and subsequently to the lateral plate mesoderm, by a complex cascade of epigenetic and genetic events, eventually leading to a left-right asymmetric body plan. At the same time, the paraxial mesoderm is patterned along the anterior-posterior axis in metameric units, or somites, in a bilaterally symmetric fashion. Here we characterize a cascade of laterality information in the zebrafish embryo and show that blocking the early steps of this cascade (before it reaches the lateral plate mesoderm) results in random left-right asymmetric somitogenesis. We also uncover a mechanism mediated by retinoic acid signalling that is crucial in buffering the influence of the flow of laterality information on the left-right progression of somite formation, and thus in ensuring bilaterally symmetric somitogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping