Frizzled signalling and cell polarisation in Drosophila and vertebrates

A key aspect of animal development is the appropriate polarisation of different cell types in the right place at the right time. Such polarisation is often precisely coordinated relative to the axes of a tissue or organ, but the mechanisms underlying this coordination are still poorly understood. Nevertheless, genetic analysis of animal development has revealed some of the pathways involved. For example, a non-canonical Frizzled signalling pathway has been found to coordinate cell polarity throughout the insect cuticle, and recent work has implicated an analogous pathway in coordinated polarisation of cells during vertebrate development. This review discusses recent findings regarding non-canonical Frizzled signalling and cell polarisation.