Regulation of asymmetric neurogenesis in c. elegans

Abstract

Neural specification is further complicated when we consider that it needs to be coordinated across the left-right (L/R) axis. Disruptions in the bilaterally symmetric organization of the human brain are frequently observed in patients with neurological disorders. Furthermore, certain neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease present or progress asymmetrically, suggesting the possibility of underlying asymmetric genetic causes. The question of how early neural specification is regulated to produce both bilaterally symmetric and L/R asymmetric structures has been largely unexplored.