ASYMMETRY INSIDE THE SYMMETRY: MECHANISMS AND DISORDERS OF LATERALITY

YASEMİN ALANAY, ERSİN GÜMÜŞ, MİRAY SEKKİN, SEBİLE GÜLER, A NUR ÇAKAR

Gynecology Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine - 2006;12(1):70-73

Ankara-Turkey

 

Asymmetry of the left-right (L-R) axis is a feature of vertebrates that is apparent in the viscera and vasculature. An understanding of L-R patterning in human development is aided by familiarity with key events and important pathways in mammalian embryogenesis. The induction of L-R asymmetry follows the establishment of the anteroposterior (A-P or rostrocaudal) and dorsoventral (D-V) axes and requires the pre-existing midline symmetry to be broken before sidedness is induced via a series of complex, coordinated molecular signaling events. In this review, our aim is to describe the molecular background of this embryological process, and give brief knowledge concerning its clinical consequences.