The homeobox gene Pitx2: mediator of asymmetric left-right signaling in vertebrate heart and gut looping
- Authors
- Campione, M., Steinbeisser, H., Schweickert, A., Deissler, K., van Bebber, F., Lowe, L.A., Nowotschin, S., Viebahn, C., Haffter, P., Kuehn, M.R., and Blum, M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-130524-1
- Date
- 1999
- Source
- Development (Cambridge, England) 126(6): 1225-1234 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Haffter, Pascal, van Bebber, Frauke
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Abnormalities, Multiple/embryology
- Activins
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Body Patterning*
- Cell Communication
- Digestive System/embryology*
- Gastrula
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Genes, Homeobox*
- Heart/embryology*
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism*
- Inhibins/metabolism
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
- Mice
- Mice, Mutant Strains
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Morphogenesis
- Nodal Protein
- Nuclear Proteins*
- Paired Box Transcription Factors
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Species Specificity
- Tissue Distribution
- Transcription Factors/metabolism*
- Transforming Growth Factor beta/biosynthesis
- Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism
- Vertebrates/embryology*
- Xenopus
- Xenopus Proteins
- Zebrafish
- Zebrafish Proteins
- PubMed
- 10021341 Full text @ Development
Left-right asymmetry in vertebrates is controlled by activities emanating from the left lateral plate. How these signals get transmitted to the forming organs is not known. A candidate mediator in mouse, frog and zebrafish embryos is the homeobox gene Pitx2. It is asymmetrically expressed in the left lateral plate mesoderm, tubular heart and early gut tube. Localized Pitx2 expression continues when these organs undergo asymmetric looping morphogenesis. Ectopic expression of Xnr1 in the right lateral plate induces Pitx2 transcription in Xenopus. Misexpression of Pitx2 affects situs and morphology of organs. These experiments suggest a role for Pitx2 in promoting looping of the linear heart and gut.