Early asymmetry of gene transcription in embryonic human left and right cerebral cortex.
The human left and right cerebral hemispheres are anatomically and functionally asymmetric. To test whether human cortical asymmetry has a molecular basis, we studied gene expression levels between the left and right embryonic hemispheres using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). We identified and verified 27 differentially expressed genes, which suggests that human cortical asymmetry is accompanied by early, marked transcriptional asymmetries. LMO4 is consistently more highly expressed in the right perisylvian human cerebral cortex than in the left and is essential for cortical development in mice, suggesting that human left-right specialization reflects asymmetric cortical development at early stages.
Sun
Tao
T
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, New Research Building Room 0266, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Patoine
Christina
C
Abu-Khalil
Amir
A
Visvader
Jane
J
Sum
Eleanor
E
Cherry
Timothy J
TJ
Orkin
Stuart H
SH
Geschwind
Daniel H
DH
Walsh
Christopher A
CA
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007839:Functional Laterality; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005865:Gestational Age; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins; D051379:Mice; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins; C114905:LMO4 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors