Although the body plan of most animals exhibits bilateral symmetry, little is known about the mechanisms that control the symmetrical arrangement of the left and right body sides during development. Dr. Pourquié’s lab established that blocking retinoic acid production in chicken embryos leads to a desynchronization of somite formation between the two sides of the embryo, resulting in a shortening of the left segmented region.

     “Our data indicate that retinoic acid plays an important role in buffering the lateralizing influence of the left-right machinery on somitogenesis” said Dr. Pourquié. “This permits the synchronization of the development of the two embryonic sides.”

     “Dr. Pourquié’s lab has consistently and significantly contributed to the advancement of the study of the segmentation clock in the presomitic mesoderm and the molecular signals regulating vertebrate segmentation,” said Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D., Scientific Director at the Stowers Institute. “We are just beginning to unravel the mysteries of bilateral symmetry in vertebrates, and I believe Dr. Pourquié’s work will be very important in this field.”

     In addition to a long list of publications in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Science and Nature, Dr. Pourquié was credited with one of 24 notable discoveries in developmental biology over the past 100 years by the editors of the Nature Publishing Group. He recently accepted an appointment with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which will support his ongoing research at the Stowers Institute.

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have endowed it with more than $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality. Additional information about Dr. Pourquié’s research program may be found at http://www.stowers-institute.org/labs/PourquieLab.asp. Photos available upon request.