Department of Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med. 2009 Sep-Oct;1(2):210-219. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.31.
Vertebrates display left-right (L-R) asymmetric organ positioning and morphologies, which are established during embryonic development. These asymmetries are conserved among individuals and species. How, when and where do embryos first break the symmetry? Why is it broken in a consistent direction? How is the asymmetry transmitted to and coordinated within the whole embryo? Which of these elements are conserved between different organisms? These questions have been the focus of intense research during the last decade, and much has been learned. Nonetheless, our understanding of how tissue and organ L-R differences are established during embryogenesis is scarce. A systems biology approach may enable us to better understand the dynamics of gene networks, epigenetics, cilia, fluids, and charged molecules as well as other processes involved in the generation of the vertebrate L-R axis.
脊椎动物表现出左右（L-R）不对称的器官定位和形态，这些特征是在胚胎发育过程中建立的。这些不对称性在个体和物种之间是保守的。胚胎最初是如何、何时以及在何处打破对称性的？为什么会朝着一致的方向打破？这种不对称性是如何传递并在整个胚胎中协调的？这些元素中有哪些在不同的生物体之间是保守的？这些问题是过去十年中研究的焦点，已经取得了很多成果。尽管如此，我们对组织和器官 L-R 差异在胚胎发生过程中是如何建立的理解仍然有限。系统生物学方法可能使我们能够更好地理解基因网络、表观遗传学、纤毛、流体和带电分子以及其他参与脊椎动物 L-R 轴生成的过程的动态。
