title: Stomach curvature is generated by left-right asymmetric gut morphogenesis.
abstract: Left-right (LR) asymmetry is a fundamental feature of internal anatomy, yet the emergence of morphological asymmetry remains one of the least understood phases of organogenesis. Asymmetric rotation of the intestine is directed by forces outside the gut, but the morphogenetic events that generate anatomical asymmetry in other regions of the digestive tract remain unknown. Here, we show in mouse andXenopusthat the mechanisms that drive the curvature of the stomach are intrinsic to the gut tube itself. The left wall of the primitive stomach expands more than the right wall, as the left epithelium becomes more polarized and undergoes radial rearrangement. These asymmetries exist across several species, and are dependent on LR patterning genes, includingFoxj1,NodalandPitx2Our findings have implications for how LR patterning manifests distinct types of morphological asymmetries in different contexts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
authors.forename: Nirav M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bagley
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
authors.forename: H Troy
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Ghashghaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA nmnascon@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: Nanette
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1301-5298
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nascone-Yoder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D004707:Endoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D012399:Rotation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013270:Stomach / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology; D000097577:Homeobox Protein PITX2
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000097577:Homeobox Protein PITX2
keywords: Asymmetry; Gut; Left-right; Morphogenesis; Mouse; Pitx2; Stomach; Xenopus