Skip to main content
Figure 4 | EvoDevo

Figure 4

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

Figure 4

Inhibition of the Nodal signaling pathway changes the expression pattern of left-right regulatory genes. Images are of B. floridae taken from the dorsal view. Double arrowheads mark strong expression and single arrowheads mark weak expression. Scale bar, 100 μm. (A-D) At the onset of neurulation (N0), embryos treated with Nodal inhibitors exhibit bilateral expression of Nodal and Gdf1/3, albeit diminished as compared to controls. Similarly, the strong unilateral expression of Lefty and Cerberus in controls is converted into reduced bilateral expression by each treatment. (E-I) At the early neurula stage (N1), Nodal expression remains bilateral but is greatly diminished in the treated embryos. Expression of genes expressed on the left side (Gdf1/3, Lefty, and Pitx) is lost in the treated embryos, while Cerberus expression becomes bilaterally symmetrical. (J-M) At the mid-neurula stage (N2), Nodal, Gdf1/3, Lefty, and Pitx expression cannot be detected in the treated embryos. (N-P) At the late neurula stage (N3), the right-sided bias in expression of FoxE4, Nkx2.1, and Hand is abolished by the treatment, and these genes become symmetrically expressed on both left and right sides.

Back to article page