Exhaling Askew

A glance at the human body and it all looks fairly symmetrical. But look closer and you’ll see a world of asymmetry, from a slightly sloping eyebrow through to the shapes and positions of our organs. The diaphragm too is in on the asymmetrical act. When we breathe out, it rises unevenly. But why? Is it just making do with the space around it? Researchers looked to mice for answers. Imaging the nerves that stimulate the diaphragm – the left and right phrenic nerves (pictured) – they found them to be asymmetrical. Using mutant mice they found this asymmetry was controlled by differences in the genes activated in these nerves. These genetic differences caused different signalling molecules to be activated in the left and right sides of the diaphragm. This might explain why some muscle disorders only affect one side of the diaphragm.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Lux Fatimathas

Writer

Having pursued science through a career in research, communications and publishing, she is currently a writer and editor for a healthcare marketing agency and also juggles freelance science writing.

• Image by Camille Charoy and colleagues
• University of Lyon, Claude Bernard University, Institut NeuroMyoGène, Lyon, France
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in eLife, June 2017