First published online May 16, 2007
Development 134, 1101e (2007)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Left-right patterning de-mystified
The generation of left-right (LR) patterning depends on the activity of
Cerberus-related proteins in the node region. Charon (zebrafish) and
Cerberus-like-2 (Cerl-2; mouse) prevent the spread of the Nodal signal to the
right side in developing embryos, but the role of the chick Cerberus-related
protein (cCer) in LR patterning has been less clear. However, its role is now
clarified by Belo and co-workers, who report that Nodal activates
cCer transcription in the left-side mesoderm; cCer then negatively
regulates Nodal signalling (p.
2051). From the cCer promoter, they identify a left-side
enhancer that contains FOXH1- and SMAD-binding sites and that is Nodal
responsive. This element is sufficient to induce cCer transcription
in the left side, and cCer overexpression in the left side represses
Nodal expression. Significantly, ectopic Nodal expression occurs in
the right side of cCer-knockdown embryos. These results reveal cCer
as a negative regulator of Nodal asymmetric signalling and indicate that cCer
appears to have a similar role to Charon and Cerl-2 in restricting Nodal
activity to the left side.

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Related articles in Development:
- Cerberus is a feedback inhibitor of Nodal asymmetric signaling in the chick embryo
- Ana Teresa Tavares, Sofia Andrade, Ana Cristina Silva, and José António Belo
Development 2007 134: 2051-2060.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]