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Figure 1 | EvoDevo

Figure 1

From: The Nodal signaling pathway controls left-right asymmetric development in amphioxus

Figure 1

The left-right asymmetric characters of amphioxus. (A, B) Dorsal views of mid-neurula (N2) and late neurula (N3), marked with m-actin to display asymmetric arrangement of somites. White dotted lines mark the boundary of each somital segment. The asterisk (*) marks the anterior; ‘L’ represents the left side and ‘R’ the right side of the embryo. Scale bar, 100 μm. (C) The myomeres (phalloidin staining) and axon bundles (acetylated α-tubulin staining) of amphioxus larva (L2) are positioned asymmetrically. White dotted lines mark myomere boundaries, and white arrows mark connections of peripheral axon bundles to the neural tube. Scale bar, 50 μm. (D) Left lateral view of L2-stage larva. Scale bar, 100 μm. en, endostyle; csg, club-shaped gland; fgs, first gill slit; pp, preoral pit. (E) Left lateral view of L2-stage larva focused on the right side. The club-shaped gland is marked with FoxE4 riboprobe. Dashed arrows mark the section planes in (G-J). Pharyngeal organs are labeled as described for G–J. Scale bar, 100 μm. (F) Left lateral view of L2-stage larva focused on the left-sided mouth opening (yellow arrowhead). Scale bar, 100 μm. (G-J) Sections of L2-stage larva from (E) showing asymmetrical positioning of pharyngeal organs. ‘n’ marks the notochord and the sections are seen from the posterior direction. The preoral pit (G, black arrowhead) and the mouth (I, yellow arrowhead) open on the left. The endostyle (H, black arrow) forms on the right. The dorsal part of the club-shaped gland (I, blue double arrowhead) is situated on the right, while its ventral part (duct of the club-shaped gland) extends to the left side (H, I, blue arrowhead). The first gill slit (I, J, cyan arrowhead) opens to the right side. Each section is 10 μm thick. Scale bar, 25 μm.

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