Open AccessCoupling of apical-basal polarity and PCP to interpret the Wnt signaling gradient and orient feather branch
Author(s) -
Jianqiong Lin,
Zhicao Yue
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.15
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1477-9129
pISSN - 0950-1991
DOI - 10.1242/dev.162792
Subject(s) - wnt signaling pathway , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , frizzled , cell polarity , feather , polarity (international relations) , morphogenesis , anatomy , gene knockdown , cell , signal transduction , cell culture , genetics , gene , ecology
To sense a global directional cue and orient cell growth is crucial in tissue morphogenesis. An anterior-posterior gradient of Wnt signaling controls the helical growth of feather branches (barbs), thus the formation of bilateral feathers. However, it remains unclear how the keratinocytes sense this gradient and orient barb growth. Here we show that due to feather branching, the global Wnt gradient is subdivided into periodic barbs. Within each barb, the anterior barbule plate cells tilt before the posterior cells. The core PCP gene Prickle1 is involved, as knockdown of its expression resulted in no cell shape change and no barb tilting. Furthermore, perturbation of the Wnt gradient leads to diffusive Prickle1 expression, and loss of barb orientation. Finally, the asymmetric distribution of Wnt6/Fzd10 is coordinated by the apical-basal polarity of the barbule plate keratinocytes, which is in turn regulated by the Par3/aPKC machinery. Our data elucidate a new mechanism through which the global Wnt signaling gradient is interpreted locally to construct complex spatial forms.