Roles of the Foxj1 and Inv genes in the left-right determination of internal organs in mice

Abstract In Foxj1 knockout mice, half show situs solitus while the other half show situs inversus, which means a random determination of the left–right axis. In contrast, the inv mutant mice show a mirror-image configuration of the internal organs, which means a reversal of the left–right axis. Although these two mutant mice have primary cilia on the nodal cells, their phenotypes are different in laterality determination. We thus made Foxj1/inv double mutant mice and analyzed their phenotype. We found the phenotypes of Foxj1/inv double mutant mice to be more similar to those of the Foxj1 mutant mice than those of the inv mutant mice. We also found right pulmonary isomerism to be a major phenotype of the Foxj1 mutant mice and the Foxj1/inv double mutant mice, which is likely due to the absence of the Pitx2 expression at both lateral plate mesoderms. These results indicate that a random signal of laterality ( Foxj1 ) is dominant over the reversal signal of laterality ( Inv ).