Ciliary proteins link basal body polarization to planar cell polarity regulation

Nat Genet. 2008 Jan;40(1):69-77. doi: 10.1038/ng.2007.54. Epub 2007 Dec 9.

Abstract

Planar cell polarity (PCP) refers to coordinated polarization of cells within the plane of a cell sheet. A conserved signaling pathway is required for the establishment of PCP in epithelial tissues and for polarized cellular rearrangements known as convergent extension. During PCP signaling, core PCP proteins are sorted asymmetrically along the polarization axis; this sorting is thought to direct coordinated downstream morphogenetic changes across the entire tissue. Here, we show that a gene encoding a ciliary protein (a 'ciliary gene'), Ift88, also known as Polaris, is required for establishing epithelial PCP and for convergent extension of the cochlear duct of Mus musculus. We also show that the proper positioning of ciliary basal bodies and the formation of polarized cellular structures are disrupted in mice with mutant ciliary proteins ('ciliary mutants'), whereas core PCP proteins are partitioned normally along the polarization axis. Thus, our data uncover a distinct requirement for ciliary genes in basal body positioning and morphological polarization during PCP regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Polarity*
  • Cilia
  • Cochlea
  • Epithelial Cells / cytology
  • Kinesins / genetics
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Organ of Corti / cytology*
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Kif3a protein, mouse
  • Ltap protein, mouse
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Tg737Rpw protein, mouse
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • Kinesins

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AF365875
  • GENBANK/AU020229
  • RefSeq/NM_008241