Embryonic origins of spleen asymmetry

The spleen is a vertebrate organ that has both hematopoietic and immunologi c function. The embryonic origins of the spleen are obscure, with most stud ies describing the earliest rudiment of the spleen as a condensation of mes odermal mesenchyme on the left side of the dorsal mesogastrium, The develop ment of spleen handedness has not been described previously, presumably bec ause of the difficulty in assaying spleen position in the embryo and the la ck of early, organ-specific molecular markers. Here we show that expression of the homeobox gene Nkx2-5 serves as a marker for spleen precursor tissue . Pre-splenic tissue is initially located in symmetric domains on both side s of the embryo but, during subsequent development, only the left side goes on to form the mature spleen. Therefore, the final location of the spleen on the left side of the body a,axis appears to result from preferential dev elopment of the spleen precursor cells on the left side of the embryo. Our studies indicate that the spleen and heart become asymmetric via different cellular mechanisms, Nkx2-5 may function locally as part of the laterality cascade, downstream of nodal and Pitx2, or it may direct asymmetric morphog enesis after laterality has been determined.