Asymmetric expression of antivin/lefty1 in the early chick embryo

Mammalian lefty and zebrafish antivin, highly related to lefty, are shown t o be expressed asymmetrically and involved in the specification of the left body side of early embryos. We isolated a chick homologue of the antivin/l eftyl cDNA and studied its expression pattern during early chick developmen t. We found that antivin/leftyl is expressed asymmetrically on the left sid e of the prospective floorplate, notochord and lateral plate mesoderm of th e chick embryo. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.