Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
08:57
En Face Endocardial Cushion Preparation for Planar Morphogenesis Analysis in Mouse Embryos
Published on: July 27, 2022
Planar cell polarity signaling in neural development
Fadel Tissir1, André M Goffinet
1Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Developmental Neurobiology, Avenue E. Mounier, 73, Box 7382, B1200 Brussels, Belgium. fadel.tissir@uclouvain.be
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|June 18, 2010
Summary
Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling is crucial for brain development and neuronal function. Its precise mechanisms in the nervous system, however, require further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Planar cell polarity (PCP) organizes cells within tissue planes.
- Core PCP genes regulate this cellular organization.
- PCP signaling is increasingly recognized for its roles in brain development and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the established roles of PCP signaling in neural development and function.
- To highlight the current gaps in understanding PCP mechanisms within the nervous system.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on PCP signaling in neurodevelopment.
- Analysis of PCP gene functions in neural stem cells and postmitotic neurons.
Main Results:
- PCP signaling is essential for neural tube closure and inner ear development.
- It also regulates neuronal migration, axon guidance, maturation, and survival.
- Key PCP pathway components have been identified, but their specific actions in neurons are not fully elucidated.
Conclusions:
- PCP signaling plays multifaceted roles throughout neural development and in mature neuronal systems.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms of PCP in the nervous system.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
01:30Neurulation
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the anterior...
01:51Determination
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...
02:13Determining the Plane of Cell Division
Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function.
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division starting...
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division starting...
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...