Final Report Summary - EMTASY (Common molecular pathways in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and left-right asymmetries)
The majority of animals show an external bilateral symmetry, but there are multiple internal left-right (L/R) asymmetries, which are fundamental for organ packaging and function. Defects in L/R asymmetry occur in 1:10,000 humans and the associated morbidity and mortality usually indicate congenital heart defects. We have found that during development, L/R differential cell movements, more prominent from the right hand side of the embryo and directed to the midline, generate a cable-like structure that displaces the posterior pole of the developing heart to the left. With that, the process of heart laterality starts to then establish its final normal position. By studying different animal models, we have also found that this mechanism is evolutionarily conserved. Thus, our data should help to better understand the congenital heart defects derived from disrupted heart laterality in humans.