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Updated: May 11, 2026
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Polarized Translocation of Fluorescent Proteins in Xenopus Ectoderm in Response to Wnt Signaling
Published on: May 26, 2011
Opposing Wnt pathways orient cell polarity during organogenesis
Jennifer L Green1, Takao Inoue, Paul W Sternberg
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 156-29, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Cell
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Tissue polarity relies on integrating multiple Wnt pathways. Asymmetric cell division in C. elegans vulva development uses Wnts to orient cells and establish ground polarity via novel signaling mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Asymmetric cell division is crucial for tissue and organ organization.
- In C. elegans vulva development, mirror-image symmetry is achieved by opposing division orientations of vulval precursor cells (VPCs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the molecular mechanisms governing the asymmetric division patterns of VPCs in C. elegans.
- To elucidate how multiple Wnt signaling pathways contribute to establishing tissue polarity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Wnt signaling components (MOM-2, LIN-44, EGL-20) and their receptors (Fz/LIN-17, Ryk/LIN-18, CAM-1, VANG-1).
- Investigating beta-catenin localization and gene transcription activation.
- Studying the establishment of cellular "ground" polarity.
Main Results:
- Wnts MOM-2 and LIN-44, expressed at the symmetry axis, orient VPCs centrally via Fz/LIN-17 and Ryk/LIN-18 pathways.
- A uniform "ground" polarity is established by Wnt/EGL-20 signaling.
- EGL-20 utilizes a novel pathway involving Ror receptor tyrosine kinase CAM-1 and planar cell polarity component Van Gogh/VANG-1.
Conclusions:
- Tissue polarity is determined by the integration of distinct Wnt signaling pathways.
- Multiple Wnt pathways cooperate to control cell division orientation and establish polarity during vulva development.
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