Micropatterning chiral morphogenesis.

A recently developed technique enables quantitative study of the initiation of left-right asymmetry using cells grown on micropatterns with close appositional boundaries. It was found that mammalian cells exhibit either a left or right bias in their migratory behavior, which was determined by cell phenotype, different for certain cancer and normal cells, and dependent on functionality of the actin cytoskeleton. We discuss here the relevance of this simple technique to study of development and birth defects in laterality.