| First Author | Marques S | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Genes Dev | Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 19 | Pages | 2342-7 |
| PubMed ID | 15466485 | Mgi Jnum | J:93051 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3055649 | Doi | 10.1101/gad.306504 |
| Citation | Marques S, et al. (2004) The activity of the Nodal antagonist Cerl-2 in the mouse node is required for correct L/R body axis. Genes Dev 18(19):2342-7 |
| abstractText | Correct establishment of the left/right (L/R) body asymmetry in the mouse embryo requires asymmetric activation of the evolutionarily conserved Nodal signaling cascade in the left lateral plate mesoderm (L-LPM). Furthermore, the presence of Nodal in the node is essential for its own expression in the L-LPM. Here, we have characterized the function of cerl-2, a novel Nodal antagonist, which displays a unique asymmetric expression on the right side of the mouse node. cerl-2 knockout mice display multiple laterality defects including randomization of the L/R axis. These defects can be partially rescued by removing one nodal allele. Our results demonstrate that Cerl-2 plays a key role in restricting the Nodal signaling pathway toward the left side of the mouse embryo by preventing its activity in the right side. |
