Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Left–right development

Conserved function for embryonic nodal cilia

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Capdevila, J. et al. Cell 101, 9–21 (2000).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Wright, C. V. E. Dev. Cell 1, 179–186 (2001).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Nonaka, S. et al. Cell 95, 829–837 (1998).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Okada, Y. et al. Mol. Cell 4, 459–468 (1999).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Supp, D. M. et al. Nature 389, 963–966 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Supp, D. M. et al. Development 126, 5495–5504 (1999).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Olbrich, H. et al. Nature Genet. 30, 143–144 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Männer, J. Anat. Embryol. 203, 481–490 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cooper, M. S. & D'Amico, L. A. Dev. Biol. 180, 184–198 (1996).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

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
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kyle J. Vogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Molly K. Wagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Clifford J. Tabin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. H. Joseph Yost
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Martina Brueckner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. Joseph Yost.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

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

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/418037a

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation