The notochord breaks bilateral symmetry by controlling cell shapes in the zebrafish laterality organ.

Kupffer's vesicle (KV) is the zebrafish organ of laterality, patterning the embryo along its left-right (LR) axis. Regional differences in cell shape within the lumen-lining KV epithelium are essential for its LR patterning function. However, the processes by which KV cells acquire their characteristic shapes are largely unknown.

Lethal giant larvae 2 regulates development of the ciliated organ Kupffer's vesicle.

Motile cilia perform crucial functions during embryonic development and throughout adult life. Development of organs containing motile cilia involves regulation of cilia formation (ciliogenesis) and formation of a luminal space (lumenogenesis) in which cilia generate fluid flows. Control of ciliogenesis and lumenogenesis is not yet fully understood, and it remains unclear whether these processes are coupled.

Neurulation: coordinating cell polarisation and lumen formation.

EMBO J (2013) 32 1, 30–44 doi:; DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2012.

Interplay between Rab5 and PtdIns(4,5)P2 controls early endocytosis in the Drosophila germline.

Phosphoinositides have emerged as key regulators of membrane traffic through their control of the localization and activity of several effector proteins. Both Rab5 and phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P(2)] are involved in the early steps of the clathrin-dependent endocytic pathway, but little is known about how their functions are coordinated. We have studied the role of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) and Rab5 in the Drosophila germline during oogenesis.

Rab6 and the secretory pathway affect oocyte polarity in Drosophila.

The Drosophila oocyte is a highly polarized cell. Secretion occurs towards restricted neighboring cells and asymmetric transport controls the localization of several mRNAs to distinct cortical compartments. Here, we describe a role for the Drosophila ortholog of the Rab6 GTPase, Drab6, in establishing cell polarity during oogenesis.