Chiral symmetry breaking in early sea star morphogenesis

The establishment of body axes is a fundamental aspect of animal development. While the anterior-posterior axis is typically determined either spontaneously or by maternal cues, the formation of the subsequent dorsal-ventral and left-right axes requires the transduction of information from the earlier axes. The role of cellular mechanical processes in these crucial morphogenetic events remains poorly understood. In this study, we focus on early sea star morphogenesis to explore how chiral symmetry is broken during cilia-driven body rotation, a process common to many marine invertebrates. By analyzing the twisting dynamics of cell division during early cleavage and the orientation of cell division during the blastula stage, we aim to uncover how these early morphogenetic events establish the patterns necessary for chiral rotation in the gastrula stage. Our goal is to elucidate how chiral information is propagated throughout development, with broader implications for understanding left-right symmetry breaking in bilaterian animals.