Meeting Abstract

P1.89  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30  The establishment of left-right asymmetry in spiralian development NAMIGAI, E.K.O.*; SHIMELD, S.M.; University of Oxford erica.namigai@zoo.ox.ac.uk

The establishment of body axes is a fundamental process of metazoan development. Despite the wealth of studies on the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes, the left-right (LR) axis remains poorly understood. I am studying the mechanisms underlying LR asymmetry in the Lophotrochozoa using Pomatoceros lamarckii, a serpulid annelid, as a model. To this end, we have sequenced the P. lamarckii genome, giving us a representative view of the major TGF-beta superfamily components. Key TGF-beta members and aspects of cellular architecture, such as the dynamics of early spiral cleavage, are currently being analyzed, in addition to the role of ion channels in early development. This research answers key questions concerning body axis establishment during spiralian development, and is valuable for understanding the evolution of LR asymmetry within the Lophotrochozoa.