The homeobox gene Pitx2: mediator of asymmetric left-right signaling in vertebrate heart and gut looping

Publication Type
Journal contribution
Authors
Marina Campione, Herbert Steinbeisser, Axel Schweickert, Kirsten Deißler, Frauke van Bebber, Linda A. Lowe, Sonja Nowotschin, Christoph Viebahn, Pascal Haffter, Michael R. Kuehn and Martin Blum
Year of publication
1999
Published in
Development <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=10021341&ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">PMID: 10021341</a>
Band/Volume
126/6
Page (from - to)
1225-1234
Abstract

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.

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