Resumen de Generating asymmetries in the early vertebrate embryo: the role of the Cerberus-like family

José Antonio Belo, Ana Cristina Silva, Ana-Cristina Borges, Mario Filipe, Margaret Bento, Lisa Gonçalves, Marta Vitorino, Ana Marisa Salgueiro, Vera Texeira, Ana T. Tavares, Sara Marques

• One fundamental aspect of vertebrate embryonic development is the formation of the body plan. For this process, asymmetries have to be generated during early stages of development along the three main body axes: Anterior-Posterior, Dorso-Ventral and Left-Right.We have been studying the role of a novel class of molecules, the Cerberus/Dan gene family. These are dedicated secreted antagonists of three major signaling pathways: Nodal, BMP and Wnt. Our studies contribute to the current view that the fine tuning of signaling is controlled by a set of inhibitory molecules rather than by activators. In this context, the Cerberus-like molecules emerge as key players in the regulation and generation of asymmetries in the early vertebrate embryo.