title: The myosin ID pathway and left-right asymmetry in Drosophila.
abstract: Drosophila is a classical model to study body patterning, however left-right (L/R) asymmetry had remained unexplored, until recently. The discovery of the conserved myosin ID gene as a major determinant of L/R asymmetry has revealed a novel L/R pathway involving the actin cytoskeleton and the adherens junction. In this process, the HOX gene Abdominal-B plays a major role through the control of myosin ID expression and therefore symmetry breaking. In this review, we present organs and markers showing L/R asymmetry in Drosophila and discuss our current understanding of the underlying molecular genetic mechanisms. Drosophila represents a valuable model system revealing novel strategies to establish L/R asymmetry in invertebrates and providing an evolutionary perspective to the problem of laterality in bilateria.
authors.affiliation: Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, institut de Biologie Valrose, iBV, Parc Valrose, Nice cedex 2, France; CNRS, institut de Biologie Valrose, iBV, UMR 7277, Parc Valrose, Nice cedex 2, France; INSERM, institut de Biologie Valrose, iBV, U1091, Parc Valrose, Nice cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Géminard
authors.forename: Nicanor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: González-Morales
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Coutelis
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noselli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D024461:Myosin Type I / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D024461:Myosin Type I
keywords: HOX gene Abdominal-B; asymmetric morphogenesis in invertebrates; developmental biology; diptera; genetic; invertebrates; left-right asymmetry; morphogenesis; symmetry breaking; unconventional type I myosin