Possible origins of macroscopic left-right asymmetry in organisms

I consider the microscopic mechanisms by which a particular left-right (L/R) asymmetry is generated at the organism level from the microscopic handedness of cytoskeletal molecules. In light of a fundamental symmetry principle, the typical pattern-formation mechanisms of diffusion plus regulation cannot implement the "right-hand rule"; at the microscopic level, the cell's cytoskeleton of chiral filaments seems always to be involved, usually in collective states driven by polymerization forces or molecular motors. It seems particularly easy for handedness to emerge in a shear or rotation in the background of an effectively two-dimensional system, such as the cell membrane or a layer of cells, as this requires no pre-existing axis apart from the layer normal. I detail a scenario involving actin/myosin layers in snails and in C. elegans, and also one about the microtubule layer in plant cells. I also survey the other examples that I am aware of, such as the emergence of handedness such as the emergence of handedness in neurons, in eukaryote cell motility, and in non-flagellated bacteria.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to J. Stat. Phys. special issue. Major rewrite, rearranged sections/subsections, new Fig 3 + 6, new physics in Sec 2.4 and 3.4.1, added Sec 5 and subsections of Sec

Visual Laterality of Calf–Mother Interactions in Wild Whales

Behavioral laterality is known for a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Laterality in social interactions has been described for a wide range of species including humans. Although evidence and theoretical predictions indicate that in social species the degree of population level laterality is greater than in solitary ones, the origin of these unilateral biases is not fully understood. It is especially poorly studied in the wild animals. Little is known about the role, which laterality in social interactions plays in natural populations. A number of brain characteristics make cetaceans most suitable for investigation of lateralization in social contacts.) in the greatest breeding aggregation in the White Sea. Here we show that young calves (in 29 individually identified and in over a hundred of individually not recognized mother-calf pairs) swim and rest significantly longer on a mother's right side. Further observations along with the data from other cetaceans indicate that found laterality is a result of the calves' preference to observe their mothers with the left eye, i.e., to analyze the information on a socially significant object in the right brain hemisphere.Data from our and previous work on cetacean laterality suggest that basic brain lateralizations are expressed in the same way in cetaceans and other vertebrates. While the information on social partners and novel objects is analyzed in the right brain hemisphere, the control of feeding behavior is performed by the left brain hemisphere. Continuous unilateral visual contacts of calves to mothers with the left eye may influence social development of the young by activation of the contralateral (right) brain hemisphere, indicating a possible mechanism on how behavioral lateralization may influence species life and welfare. This hypothesis is supported by evidence from other vertebrates

The formation of calcium phosphate coatings by pulse laser deposition on the surface of polymeric ferroelectric

This work analyses the properties of calcium phosphate coatings obtained by pulsed laser deposition on the surface of the ferroelectric polymer material. Atomic force and scanning electron microscopy studies demonstrate that, regardless of the type of sputtering target, the calcium phosphate coatings have a multiscale rough surface that is potentially capable of promoting the attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts. This developed surface of the coatings is due to its formation mainly from a liquid phase. The chemical and crystalline composition of the coatings depends on the type of sputtering target used. It was shown that, regardless of the type of sputtering target, the crystalline structure of the ferroelectric polymer material does not change. Cell viability and adhesion studies of mesenchymal stromal cells on the coatings were conducted using flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. These studies indicated that the produced coatings are non-toxic

The formation of calcium phosphate coatings by pulse laser deposition on the surface of polymeric ferroelectric

This work analyses the properties of calcium phosphate coatings obtained by pulsed laser deposition on the surface of the ferroelectric polymer material. Atomic force and scanning electron microscopy studies demonstrate that, regardless of the type of sputtering target, the calcium phosphate coatings have a multiscale rough surface that is potentially capable of promoting the attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts. This developed surface of the coatings is due to its formation mainly from a liquid phase. The chemical and crystalline composition of the coatings depends on the type of sputtering target used. It was shown that, regardless of the type of sputtering target, the crystalline structure of the ferroelectric polymer material does not change. Cell viability and adhesion studies of mesenchymal stromal cells on the coatings were conducted using flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. These studies indicated that the produced coatings are non-toxic