Development, Vol 124, Issue 8 1465-1472, Copyright © 1997 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Left-right asymmetry of a nodal-related gene is regulated by dorsoanterior midline structures during Xenopus development

JL Lohr, MC Danos and HJ Yost
Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.

Development of asymmetry along the left-right axis is a critical step in the formation of the vertebrate body plan. Disruptions of normal left-right patterning are associated with abnormalities of multiple organ systems, including significant congenital heart disease. The mouse nodal gene, and its homologues in chick and Xenopus, are among the first genes known to be asymmetrically expressed along the left-right axis before the development of organ asymmetry. Alterations in the expression pattern of mouse nodal and the chick homologue (cNR-1) have been associated with defects in the development of left-right asymmetry and cardiac looping (Levin, M., Johnson, R. L., Stern, C. D., Kuehn, M. and Tabin, C. (1995) Cell 82, 803-814; Collignon, J., Varlet, I. and Robertson, E. J. (1996) Nature 381, 155-158; Lowe, L. A., Supp, D. M., Sampath, K., Yokoyama, T., Wright, C. V. E., Potter, S. S., Overbeek, P. and Kuehn, M. R. (1996) Nature 381, 158-161). Here, we show that the normal expression patterns of the Xenopus nodal-related gene (Xnr-1) are variable in a large population of embryos and that Xnr-1 expression is altered by treatments that perturb normal left-right development. The incidence of abnormal Xnr-1 expression patterns correlates well with cardiac reversal rates in both control and experimentally treated Xenopus embryos. Furthermore, dorsal midline structures, including notochord and/or hypochord and neural floorplate, regulate Xnr-1 expression prior to the specification of cardiac left-right orientation by repression of Xnr-1 expression in the right lateral plate mesoderm during closure of the neural tube. The correlation of Xnr-1 expression and orientation of cardiac looping suggests that Xnr-1 is a component of the left-right signaling pathway required for the specification of cardiac orientation in Xenopus, and that dorsal midline structures normally act to repress the signaling pathway on the right side of the embryo.
CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Aw and M. Levin Is left-right asymmetry a form of planar cell polarity? Development, February 1, 2009; 136(3): 355 - 366. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Onuma, C.-Y. Yeo, and M. Whitman XCR2, one of three Xenopus EGF-CFC genes, has a distinct role in the regulation of left-right patterning Development, January 15, 2006; 133(2): 237 - 250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Stemple Structure and function of the notochord: an essential organ for chordate development Development, June 1, 2005; 132(11): 2503 - 2512. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. J. Essner, J. D. Amack, M. K. Nyholm, E. B. Harris, and H. J. Yost Kupffer's vesicle is a ciliated organ of asymmetry in the zebrafish embryo that initiates left-right development of the brain, heart and gut Development, March 15, 2005; 132(6): 1247 - 1260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Hashimoto, M. Rebagliati, N. Ahmad, O. Muraoka, T. Kurokawa, M. Hibi, and T. Suzuki The Cerberus/Dan-family protein Charon is a negative regulator of Nodal signaling during left-right patterning in zebrafish Development, April 15, 2004; 131(8): 1741 - 1753. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Yamamoto, N. Mine, K. Mochida, Y. Sakai, Y. Saijoh, C. Meno, and H. Hamada Nodal signaling induces the midline barrier by activating Nodal expression in the lateral plate Development, May 1, 2003; 130(9): 1795 - 1804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. K. H. Przemeck, U. Heinzmann, J. Beckers, and M. Hrabe de Angelis Node and midline defects are associated with left-right development in Delta1 mutant embryos Development, January 1, 2003; 130(1): 3 - 13. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Hoshijima, J. E. Metherall, and D. J. Grunwald A protein disulfide isomerase expressed in the embryonic midline is required for left/right asymmetries Genes & Dev., October 1, 2002; 16(19): 2518 - 2529. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Roberts, H. F. Sutherland, H. Farmer, W. Kimber, S. Halford, A. Carey, J. M. Brickman, A. Wynshaw-Boris, and P. J. Scambler Targeted Mutagenesis of the Hira Gene Results in Gastrulation Defects and Patterning Abnormalities of Mesoendodermal Derivatives Prior to Early Embryonic Lethality Mol. Cell. Biol., April 1, 2002; 22(7): 2318 - 2328. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. D. Burdine and A. F. Schier Conserved and divergent mechanisms in left-right axis formation Genes & Dev., April 1, 2000; 14(7): 763 - 776. [Full Text]

				T Kitaguchi, T Nagai, K Nakata, J Aruga, and K Mikoshiba Zic3 is involved in the left-right specification of the Xenopus embryo Development, January 11, 2000; 127(22): 4787 - 4795. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Bisgrove, J. Essner, and H. Yost Multiple pathways in the midline regulate concordant brain, heart and gut left-right asymmetry Development, January 8, 2000; 127(16): 3567 - 3579. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. Patterson, T. Drysdale, and P. Krieg Embryonic origins of spleen asymmetry Development, January 1, 2000; 127(1): 167 - 175. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Y.-T. Yan, K. Gritsman, J. Ding, R. D. Burdine, J. D. Corrales, S. M. Price, W. S. Talbot, A. F. Schier, and M. M. Shen Conserved requirement for EGF-CFC genes in vertebrate left-right axis formation Genes & Dev., October 1, 1999; 13(19): 2527 - 2537. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. N. Meyers and G. R. Martin Differences in Left-Right Axis Pathways in Mouse and Chick: Functions of FGF8 and SHH Science, July 16, 1999; 285(5426): 403 - 406. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. R. Marszalek, P. Ruiz-Lozano, E. Roberts, K. R. Chien, and L. S. B. Goldstein Situs inversus and embryonic ciliary morphogenesis defects in mouse mutants lacking the KIF3A subunit of kinesin-II PNAS, April 27, 1999; 96(9): 5043 - 5048. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Ramsdell and H. Yost Cardiac looping and the vertebrate left-right axis: antagonism of left-sided Vg1 activity by a right-sided ALK2-dependent BMP pathway Development, January 12, 1999; 126(23): 5195 - 5205. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Supp, M Brueckner, M. Kuehn, D. Witte, L. Lowe, J McGrath, J Corrales, and S. Potter Targeted deletion of the ATP binding domain of left-right dynein confirms its role in specifying development of left-right asymmetries Development, January 12, 1999; 126(23): 5495 - 5504. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M Campione, H Steinbeisser, A Schweickert, K Deissler, F van Bebber, L. Lowe, S Nowotschin, C Viebahn, P Haffter, M. Kuehn, et al. The homeobox gene Pitx2: mediator of asymmetric left-right signaling in vertebrate heart and gut looping Development, January 3, 1999; 126(6): 1225 - 1234. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D Dufort, L Schwartz, K Harpal, and J Rossant The transcription factor HNF3beta is required in visceral endoderm for normal primitive streak morphogenesis Development, January 8, 1998; 125(16): 3015 - 3025. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K Sampath, A. Cheng, A Frisch, and C. Wright Functional differences among Xenopus nodal-related genes in left-right axis determination Development, January 9, 1997; 124(17): 3293 - 3302. [Abstract] [PDF]

				I. Varlet, J. Collignon, D.P. Norris, and E.J. Robertson Nodal Signaling and Axis Formation in the Mouse Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, January 1, 1997; 62(0): 105 - 113. [Abstract] [PDF]