Paraxial protocadherin coordinates cell polarity during convergent extension via Rho A and JNK

• DOI: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7600332
• Publication Date: 2004-08-05T15:23:22Z
• Authors: Frank Unterseher; Joerg A Hefele; Klaudia Giehl; Eddy M De Robertis; Doris Wedlich; Alexandra Schambony
• Keywords: rac1 GTP-Binding Protein; 0301 basic medicine; Embryo, Nonmammalian; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Cell Polarity; Gastrula; Xenopus Proteins; Cadherins; Protocadherins; Enzyme Activation; Wnt Proteins; Xenopus laevis; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; RNA, Messenger; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; In Situ Hybridization; Signal Transduction

Convergent extension movements occur ubiquitously in animal development. This special type of cell movement is controlled by the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Here we show that Xenopus paraxial protocadherin (XPAPC) functionally interacts with the Wnt/PCP pathway in the control of convergence and extension (CE) movements in Xenopus laevis. XPAPC functions as a signalling molecule that coordinates cell polarity of the involuting mesoderm in mediolateral orientation and thus selectively promotes convergence in CE movements. XPAPC signals through the small GTPases Rho A and Rac 1 and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Loss of XPAPC function blocks Rho A-mediated JNK activation. Despite common downstream components, XPAPC and Wnt/PCP signalling are not redundant, and the activity of both, XPAPC and PCP signalling, is required to coordinate CE movements.