The E3 ubiquitin ligase mindbomb1 controls planar cell polarity-dependent convergent extension movements during zebrafish gastrulation

Elife. 2022 Feb 10:11:e71928. doi: 10.7554/eLife.71928.

Abstract

Vertebrate Delta/Notch signaling involves multiple ligands, receptors and transcription factors. Delta endocytosis - a critical event for Notch activation - is however essentially controlled by the E3 Ubiquitin ligase Mindbomb1 (Mib1). Mib1 inactivation is therefore often used to inhibit Notch signaling. However, recent findings indicate that Mib1 function extends beyond the Notch pathway. We report a novel Notch-independent role of Mib1 in zebrafish gastrulation. mib1 null mutants and morphants display impaired Convergence Extension (CE) movements. Comparison of different mib1 mutants and functional rescue experiments indicate that Mib1 controls CE independently of Notch. Mib1-dependent CE defects can be rescued using the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) downstream mediator RhoA, or enhanced through knock-down of the PCP ligand Wnt5b. Mib1 regulates CE through its RING Finger domains that have been implicated in substrate ubiquitination, suggesting that Mib1 may control PCP protein trafficking. Accordingly, we show that Mib1 controls the endocytosis of the PCP component Ryk and that Ryk internalization is required for CE. Numerous morphogenetic processes involve both Notch and PCP signaling. Our observation that during zebrafish gastrulation Mib1 exerts a Notch-independent control of PCP-dependent CE movements suggest that Mib1 loss-of-function phenotypes should be cautiously interpreted depending on the biological context.

Keywords: Convergent Extension; Mindbomb1; PCP; Ryk; developmental biology; zebrafish.

Plain language summary

Animal embryonic development involves producing an entire animal from a single starting cell, the zygote. To do this, the zygote must divide to make new cells, and these cells have to arrange themselves into the correct body shape. This requires a lot of cells to move in a coordinated fashion. One of these movements is called ‘convergent extension’, in which a typically round group of cells rearranges into a long, thin shape, for example, to increase the distance between the head and the tail of the animal. In order to coordinate this movement, cells need to communicate with each other. One of the signaling pathways cells use to guide them to the right positions is the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Zebrafish are used to study PCP in convergent extension because they are transparent, making it easy to track their cell movements under the microscope. Interestingly, when a protein called Mindbomb1 (Mib1) is inactivated in zebrafish embryos, convergent extension is reduced. Mib1 helps control the activity of other proteins by attaching a chemical marker called ubiquitin to them, which tags these proteins to be relocated from the cell surface to small vesicles within the cell. The protein is known to be involved in the formation of neurons – the cells that make up the brain and nerves – but its links to cell movement and the PCP pathway had not been explored. Saraswathy et al. used a technique called Crispr/Cas9 mutagenesis to genetically modify zebrafish and then used observations under the microscope to determine the role of Mib1 in PCP and convergent extension. Their experiments show that Mib1 helps internalize a protein called Ryk from the cell surface into the cell. This internalization of Ryk is required to relay signals through the PCP pathway. When Mib1 is missing, Ryk stays on the surface of the cell, instead of moving to the inside, blocking PCP signaling between cells and therefore blocking convergent extension. Understanding the role of Mib1 in PCP signaling sheds light on how cell movements are coordinated during the embryonic development of zebrafish. Future research will involve determining whether Mib1 plays the same role in other animals, offering further insights into embryonic development. Additionally, PCP is known to have a role in disease, including the spread of cancer. It will be important to determine whether Mib1 is involved in this process as well.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Polarity / physiology
  • Gastrulation* / physiology
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins / genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins / metabolism
  • Zebrafish* / metabolism

Substances

  • Wnt Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases

Grants and funding

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.