| pubmed-article:9572115 | pubmed:abstractText | One of the most striking features of the vertebrate body plan is that most exterior structures are bilaterally symmetric while many interior structures are left-right asymmetric. Left-right asymmetries are displayed in the heart, the circulatory, digestive and respiratory systems and in the central nervous system. A fundamental question in the study of all patterning events, including left-right axis formation, is how does asymmetry arise from apparent symmetry. A second important question that is perhaps unique to the study of left-right development, is how does the left-right axis align with the asymmetries that develop along the orthogonal axes; dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior. Recent experiments in Xenopus laevis and zebrafish address both of these questions and have identified signaling molecules and interactions with midline cells that regulate left-right development. | lld:pubmed |
