title: The parapineal mediates left-right asymmetry in the zebrafish diencephalon.
abstract: The dorsal diencephalon (or epithalamus) of larval zebrafish displays distinct left-right asymmetries. The pineal complex consists of the pineal organ anlage and an unpaired, left-sided accessory organ - the parapineal. The neighboring brain nuclei, the left and right dorsal habenulae, show consistent differences in their size, density of neuropil and gene expression. Mutational analyses demonstrate a correlation between the left-right position of the parapineal and the laterality of the habenular nuclei. We show that selective ablation of the parapineal organ results in the loss of habenular asymmetry. The left-sided parapineal therefore influences the left-right identity of adjacent brain nuclei, indicating that laterality of the dorsal diencephalon arises in a step-wise fashion.
authors.affiliation: Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Embryology, 115 W University Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Gamse
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thisse
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thisse
authors.forename: Marnie E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Halpern
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C472905:kctd12.1 protein, zebrafish