Abstract
Left–right asymmetry in the nervous system is observed across species. Defects in left–right cerebral asymmetry are linked to several neurological diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying brain asymmetry in vertebrates are still not very well understood. The
Caenorhabditis elegans
left and right amphid wing ‘C’ (AWC) olfactory neurons communicate through intercellular calcium signalling in a transient embryonic gap junction neural network to specify two asymmetric subtypes, AWC
OFF
(default) and AWC
ON
(induced), in a stochastic manner. Here, we highlight the molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain stochastic AWC asymmetry. As the components of the AWC asymmetry pathway are highly conserved, insights from the model organism
C. elegans
may provide a window onto how brain asymmetry develops in humans.
This article is part of the themed issue ‘Provocative questions in left–right asymmetry’.
Funder
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Subject
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Cited by
26 articles.
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