Xenopus Dishevelled signaling regulates both neural and mesodermal convergent extension: parallel forces elongating the body axis

During amphibian development, non-canonical Wnt signals regulate the polarity of intercalating dorsal mesoderm cells during convergent extension. Cells of the overlying posterior neural ectoderm engage in similar morphogenetic cell movements. Important differences have been discerned in the cell behaviors associated with neural and mesodermal cell intercalation, raising the possibility that different mechanisms may control intercalations in these two tissues. In this report, targeted expression of mutants of Xenopus Dishevelled (Xdsh) to neural or mesodermal tissues elicited different defects that were consistent with inhibition of either neural or mesodermal convergent extension. Expression of mutant Xdsh also inhibited elongation of neural tissues in vitro in Keller sandwich explants and in vivo in neural plate grafts. Targeted expression of other Wnt signaling antagonists also inhibited neural convergent extension in whole embryos. In situ hybridization indicated that these defects were not due to changes in cell fate. Examination of embryonic phenotypes after inhibition of convergent extension in different tissues reveals a primary role for mesodermal convergent extension in axial elongation, and a role for neural convergent extension as an equalizing force to produce a straight axis. This study demonstrates that non-canonical Wnt signaling is a common mechanism controlling convergent extension in two very different tissues in the Xenopus embryo and may reflect a general conservation of control mechanisms in vertebrate convergent extension.     

NEDD4L regulates convergent extension movements in Xenopus embryos via Disheveled-mediated non-canonical Wnt signaling

During the early vertebrate body plan formation, convergent extension (CE) of dorsal mesoderm and neurectoderm is coordinated by the evolutionarily conserved non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling. Disheveled (Dvl), a key mediator of Wnt/PCP signaling, is essential for the medial–lateral polarity formation in the cells undergoing convergent extension movements. NEDD4L, a highly conserved HECT type E3 ligase, has been reported to regulate the stability of multiple substrates including Dvl2. Here we demonstrate that NEDD4L is required for the cellular polarity formation and convergent extension in the early Xenopus embryos. Depletion of NEDD4L in early Xenopus embryos results in the loss of mediolateral polarity of the convergent-extending mesoderm cells and the shortened body axis, resembling those defects caused by the disruption of non-canonical Wnt signaling. Depletion of xNEDD4L also blocks the elongation of the animal explants in response to endogenous mesoderm inducing signals and partially compromises the expression of Brachyury. Importantly, reducing Dvl2 expression can largely rescue the cellular polarity and convergent extension defects in NEDD4L-depleted embryos and explants. Together with the data that NEDD4L reduces Dvl2 protein expression in the frog embryos, our findings suggest that regulation of Dvl protein levels by NEDD4L is essential for convergent extension during early Xenopus embryogenesis.     

Zebrafish colgate/hdac1 functions in the non-canonical Wnt pathway during axial extension and in Wnt-independent branchiomotor neuron migration

Vertebrate gastrulation involves the coordinated movements of populations of cells. These movements include cellular rearrangements in which cells polarize along their medio-lateral axes leading to cell intercalations that result in elongation of the body axis. Molecular analysis of this process has implicated the non-canonical Wnt/Frizzled signaling pathway that is similar to the planar cell polarity pathway (PCP) in Drosophila. Here we describe a zebrafish mutant, colgate (col), which displays defects in the extension of the body axis and the migration of branchiomotor neurons. Activation of the non-canonical Wnt/PCP pathway in these mutant embryos by overexpressing DeltaNdishevelled, rho kinase2 and van gogh-like protein 2 (vangl2) rescues the extension defects suggesting that col acts as a positive regulator of the non-canonical Wnt/PCP pathway. Further, we show that col normally regulates the caudal migration of nVII facial hindbrain branchiomotor neurons and that the mutant phenotype can be rescued by misexpression of vangl2 independent of the Wnt/PCP pathway. We cloned the col locus and found that it encodes histone deacetylase1 (hdac1). Our previous results and studies by others have implicated hdac1 in repressing the canonical Wnt pathway. Here, we demonstrate novel roles for zebrafish hdac1 in activating non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling underlying axial extension and in promoting Wnt-independent caudal migration of a subset of hindbrain branchiomotor neurons.     

Def6 is required for convergent extension movements during zebrafish gastrulation downstream of Wnt5b signaling

During gastrulation, convergent extension (CE) cell movements are regulated through the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Wnt signaling results in downstream activation of Rho GTPases that in turn regulate actin cytoskeleton rearrangements essential for co-ordinated CE cell movement. Rho GTPases are bi-molecular switches that are inactive in their GDP-bound stage but can be activated to bind GTP through guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Here we show that def6, a novel GEF, regulates CE cell movement during zebrafish gastrulation. Def6 morphants exhibit broadened and shortened body axis with normal cell fate specification, reminiscent of the zebrafish mutants silberblick and pipetail that lack Wnt11 or Wnt5b, respectively. Indeed, def6 morphants phenocopy Wnt5b mutants and ectopic overexpression of def6 essentially rescues Wnt5b morphants, indicating a novel role for def6 as a central GEF downstream of Wnt5b signaling. In addition, by knocking down both def6 and Wnt11, we show that def6 synergises with the Wnt11 signaling pathway.     

MIM regulates vertebrate neural tube closure

Neural tube closure is a critical morphogenetic event that is regulated by dynamic changes in cell shape and behavior. Although previous studies have uncovered a central role for the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway in neural tube closure, the underlying mechanism remains poorly resolved. Here, we show that the missing in metastasis (MIM; Mtss1) protein, previously identified as a Hedgehog response gene and actin and membrane remodeling protein, specifically binds to Daam1 and couples non-canonical Wnt signaling to neural tube closure. MIM binds to a conserved domain within Daam1, and this interaction is positively regulated by Wnt stimulation. Spatial expression of MIM is enriched in the anterior neural plate and neural folds, and depletion of MIM specifically inhibits anterior neural fold closure without affecting convergent extension movements or mesoderm cell fate specification. Particularly, we find that MIM is required for neural fold elevation and apical constriction along with cell polarization and elongation in both the superficial and deep layers of the anterior neural plate. The function of MIM during neural tube closure requires both its membrane-remodeling domain and its actin-binding domain. Finally, we show that the effect of MIM on neural tube closure is not due to modulation of Hedgehog signaling in the Xenopus embryo. Together, our studies define a morphogenetic pathway involving Daam1 and MIM that transduces non-canonical Wnt signaling for the cytoskeletal changes and membrane dynamics required for vertebrate neural tube closure.     

JNK functions in the non-canonical Wnt pathway to regulate convergent extension movements in vertebrates

Recent genetic studies in Drosophila identified a novel non-canonical Wnt pathway, the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, that signals via JNK to control epithelial cell polarity in Drosophila. Most recently, a pathway regulating convergent extension movements during gastrulation in vertebrate embryos has been shown to be a vertebrate equivalent of the PCP pathway. However, it is not known whether the JNK pathway functions in this non-canonical Wnt pathway to regulate convergent extension movements in vertebrates. In addition, it is not known whether JNK is in fact activated by Wnt stimulation. Here we show that Wnt5a is capable of activating JNK in cultured cells, and present evidence that the JNK pathway mediates the action of Wnt5a to regulate convergent extension movements in Xenopus. Our results thus demonstrate that the non-canonical Wnt/JNK pathway is conserved in both vertebrate and invertebrate and define that JNK has an activity to regulate morphogenetic cell movements.     

The Xenopus receptor tyrosine kinase Xror2 modulates morphogenetic movements of the axial mesoderm and neuroectoderm via Wnt signaling

The Spemann organizer plays a central role in neural induction, patterning of the neuroectoderm and mesoderm, and morphogenetic movements during early embryogenesis. By seeking genes whose expression is activated by the organizer-specific LIM homeobox gene Xlim-1 in Xenopus animal caps, we isolated the receptor tyrosine kinase Xror2. Xror2 is expressed initially in the dorsal marginal zone, then in the notochord and the neuroectoderm posterior to the midbrain-hindbrain boundary. mRNA injection experiments revealed that overexpression of Xror2 inhibits convergent extension of the dorsal mesoderm and neuroectoderm in whole embryos, as well as the elongation of animal caps treated with activin, whereas it does not appear to affect cell differentiation of neural tissue and notochord. Interestingly, mutant constructs in which the kinase domain was point-mutated or deleted (named Xror2-TM) also inhibited convergent extension, and did not counteract the wild-type, suggesting that the ectodomain of Xror2 per se has activities that may be modulated by the intracellular domain. In relation to Wnt signaling for planar cell polarity, we observed: (1) the Frizzled-like domain in the ectodomain is required for the activity of wild-type Xror2 and Xror2-TM; (2) co-expression of Xror2 with Xwnt11, Xfz7, or both, synergistically inhibits convergent extension in embryos; (3) inhibition of elongation by Xror2 in activin-treated animal caps is reversed by co-expression of a dominant negative form of Cdc42 that has been suggested to mediate the planar cell polarity pathway of Wnt; and (4) the ectodomain of Xror2 interacts with Xwnts in co-immunoprecipitation experiments. These results suggest that Xror2 cooperates with Wnts to regulate convergent extension of the axial mesoderm and neuroectoderm by modulating the planar cell polarity pathway of Wnt.     

Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and body plan formation in mouse embryos

Wnt/beta-catenin signaling plays fundamental roles in body patterning in many invertebrate and vertebrate species, by acting as a key regulator of germ layer and body axis specification. This article focuses on the roles of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in mouse early embryos, which exhibit a unique mode of development compared to non-mammalian vertebrates. Current experimental evidence suggests that Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is not essential for patterning embryos before implantation. However, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates critical developmental events after implantation, namely the patterning of visceral endoderm, the induction of primitive streak, and the formation of anterior neural ectoderm. While Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates the body axis formation in both mouse and frog, the mode of its action is significantly diverged between these two vertebrate species.     

Wnt signalling regulates paxillin ubiquitination essential for mesodermal cell motility

Gastrulation movements are critical for establishing the three germ layers and the architecture of vertebrate embryos. During Xenopus laevis gastrulation, mesodermal tissue migrates on the blastocoel roof and elongates along the antero-posterior axis. During this process, cells in the dorsal mesoderm are polarized and intercalate with each other, which is defined as convergent extension and is known to be regulated by the non-canonical Wnt pathway. Here, we show that paxillin plays an essential role in this process. Paxillin is a focal-adhesion associated protein implicated in the regulation of actin cytoskeletal organization and cell motility, but its role in Xenopus embryogenesis has not yet been clarified. We demonstrate that the Wnt pathway controls the ubiquitination and stability of paxillin, and that this regulatory mechanism is essential for convergent extension movements. We identified a RING finger protein XRNF185, which physically binds to paxillin and the proteasome. XRNF185 destabilizes paxillin at focal adhesions and promotes mesodermal cell migration during convergent extension. We propose a mechanism to regulate gastrulation movements that involves paxillin ubiquitination and stability controlled by Wnt signalling.     

The planar polarity gene strabismus regulates convergent extension movements in Xenopus

The signaling mechanisms that specify, guide and coordinate cell behavior during embryonic morphogenesis are poorly understood. We report that a Xenopus homolog of the Drosophila planar cell polarity gene strabismus (stbm) participates in the regulation of convergent extension, a critical morphogenetic process required for the elongation of dorsal structures in vertebrate embryos. Overexpression of Xstbm, which is expressed broadly in early development and subsequently in the nervous system, causes severely shortened trunk structures; a similar phenotype results from inhibiting Xstbm translation using a morpholino antisense oligo. Experiments with Keller explants further demonstrate that Xstbm can regulate convergent extension in both dorsal mesoderm and neural tissue. The specification of dorsal tissues is not affected. The Xstbm phenotype resembles those obtained with several other molecules with roles in planar polarity signaling, including Dishevelled and Frizzled-7 and -8. Unlike these proteins, however, Stbm has little effect on conventional Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in either frog or fly assays. Thus our results strongly support the emerging hypothesis that a vertebrate analog of the planar polarity pathway governs convergent extension movements.     

TRPM7 regulates gastrulation during vertebrate embryogenesis

During gastrulation, cells in the dorsal marginal zone polarize, elongate, align and intercalate to establish the physical body axis of the developing embryo. Here we demonstrate that the bifunctional channel-kinase TRPM7 is specifically required for vertebrate gastrulation. TRPM7 is temporally expressed maternally and throughout development, and is spatially enriched in tissues undergoing convergent extension during gastrulation. Functional studies reveal that TRPM7's ion channel, but not its kinase domain, specifically affects cell polarity and convergent extension movements during gastrulation, independent of mesodermal specification. During gastrulation, the non-canonical Wnt pathway via Dishevelled (Dvl) orchestrates the activities of the GTPases Rho and Rac to control convergent extension movements. We find that TRPM7 functions synergistically with non-canonical Wnt signaling to regulate Rac activity. The phenotype caused by depletion of the Ca²⁺- and Mg²⁺-permeant TRPM7 is suppressed by expression of a dominant negative form of Rac, as well as by Mg²⁺ supplementation or by expression of the Mg²⁺ transporter SLC41A2. Together, these studies demonstrate an essential role for the ion channel TRPM7 and Mg²⁺ in Rac-dependent polarized cell movements during vertebrate gastrulation.     

Syndecan-4 regulates non-canonical Wnt signalling and is essential for convergent and extension movements in Xenopus embryos

Early shaping of Xenopus laevis embryos occurs through convergent and extension movements, a process that is driven by intercalation of polarized dorsal mesodermal cells and regulated by non-canonical Wnt signalling. Here, we have identified Xenopus syndecan-4 (xSyn4), a cell-surface transmembrane heparan sulphate proteoglycan. At the gastrula stage, xSyn4 is expressed in the involuting dorsal mesoderm and the anterior neuroectoderm. Later, it is found in the pronephros, branchial arches, brain and tailbud. Both gain- and loss-of-function of xSyn4 impaired convergent extension movements in Xenopus embryos and in activin-treated ectodermal explants. xSyn4 interacts functionally and biochemically with the Wnt receptor Frizzled7 (xFz7) and its signal transducer Dishevelled (xDsh). Furthermore, xSyn4 is necessary and sufficient for translocation of xDsh to the plasma membrane - a landmark in the activation of non-canonical Wnt signalling. Our results suggest that the ability of xSyn4 to translocate xDsh is regulated by fibronectin, a component of the extracellular matrix required for proper convergent extension movements. We propose a model where xSyn4 and fibronectin cooperate with xFz7 and Wnt in the specific activation of the non-canonical Wnt pathway.     

Essential role for Csk upstream of Fyn and Yes in zebrafish gastrulation

Morphogenetic cell movements during gastrulation shape the vertebrate embryo bodyplan. Non-canonical Wnt signaling has been established to regulate convergence and extension cell movements that mediate anterior-posterior axis elongation. In recent years, many other factors have been implicated in the process by modulation of non-canonical Wnt signaling or by different, unknown mechanisms. We have found that the Src family kinases, Fyn and Yes, are required for normal convergence and extension cell movements in zebrafish embryonic development and they signal in parallel to non-canonical Wnts, eventually converging on a common downstream factor, RhoA. Here, we report that Csk, a negative regulator of Src family kinases has a role in gastrulation cell movements as well. Csk knock down induced a phenotype that was similar to the defects observed after knock down of Fyn and Yes, in that gastrulation cell movements were impaired, without affecting cell fate. The Csk knock down phenotype was rescued by simultaneous partial knock down of Fyn and Yes. We conclude that Csk acts upstream of Fyn and Yes to control vertebrate gastrulation cell movements.     

Elongation of axolotl tailbud embryos requires GPI-linked proteins and organizer-induced, active, ventral trunk endoderm cell rearrangements

Application of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C to early tailbud stage axolotl embryos reveals that a specific subset of morphogenetic movements requires glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked cell-surface proteins. These include pronephric duct extension, "gill bulge" formation, and embryonic elongation along the anteroposterior axis. The work of Kitchin (1949, J. Exp. Zool. 112, 393-416) led to the conclusion that extension of the notochord provided the motive force driving anteroposterior stretching in axolotl embryos, elongation of other tissues being a passive response. We therefore conjectured that axial mesoderm cells might display the GPI-linked proteins required for elongation of the embryo. However, we show here that removal of most of the neural plate and axial and paraxial mesoderm prior to neural tube closure does not prevent elongation of ventrolateral tissues. Tissue-extirpation and tissue-marking experiments indicate that elongation of the ventral trunk occurs via active, directed tissue rearrangements within the endoderm, directed by signals emanating from the blastopore region. Extension of both dorsal and ventral tissues requires GPI-linked proteins. We conclude that elongation of axolotl embryos requires active cell rearrangements within ventral as well as axial tissues. The fact that both types of elongation are prevented by removal of GPI-linked proteins implies that they share a common molecular mechanism.     

Fyn/Yes and non-canonical Wnt signalling converge on RhoA in vertebrate gastrulation cell movements

Convergent extension (CE) cell movements during gastrulation mediate extension of the anterior-posterior body axis of vertebrate embryos. Non-canonical Wnt5 and Wnt11 signalling is essential for normal CE movements in vertebrate gastrulation. Here, we show that morpholino (MO)-mediated double knock-down of the Fyn and Yes tyrosine kinases in zebrafish embryos impaired normal CE cell movements, resembling the silberblick and pipetail mutants, caused by mutations in wnt11 and wnt5, respectively. Co-injection of Fyn/Yes- and Wnt11- or Wnt5-MO was synergistic, but wnt11 or wnt5 RNA did not rescue the Fyn/Yes knockdown or vice versa. Remarkably, active RhoA rescued the Fyn/Yes knockdown as well as the Wnt11 knockdown, indicating that Fyn/Yes and Wnt11 signalling converged on RhoA. Our results show that Fyn and Yes act together with non-canonical Wnt signalling via RhoA in CE cell movements during gastrulation.     

The wnt receptor ryk plays a role in Mammalian planar cell polarity signaling

Wnts are essential for a wide range of developmental processes, including cell growth, division, and differentiation. Some of these processes signal via the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which is a β-catenin-independent Wnt signaling pathway. Previous studies have shown that Ryk, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, can bind to Wnts. Ryk is required for normal axon guidance and neuronal differentiation during development. Here, we demonstrate that mammalian Ryk interacts with the Wnt/PCP pathway. In vitro analysis showed that the Wnt inhibitory factor domain of Ryk was necessary for Wnt binding. Detailed analysis of two vertebrate model organisms showed Ryk phenotypes consistent with PCP signaling. In zebrafish, gene knockdown using morpholinos revealed a genetic interaction between Ryk and Wnt11 during the PCP pathway-regulated process of embryo convergent extension. Ryk-deficient mouse embryos displayed disrupted polarity of stereociliary hair cells in the cochlea, a characteristic of disturbed PCP signaling. This PCP defect was also observed in mouse embryos that were double heterozygotes for Ryk and Looptail (containing a mutation in the core Wnt/PCP pathway gene Vangl2) but not in either of the single heterozygotes, suggesting a genetic interaction between Ryk and Vangl2. Co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that RYK and VANGL2 proteins form a complex, whereas RYK also activated RhoA, a downstream effector of PCP signaling. Overall, our data suggest an important role for Ryk in Wnt/planar cell polarity signaling during vertebrate development via the Vangl2 signaling pathway, as demonstrated in the mouse cochlea.     

Prickle 1 regulates cell movements during gastrulation and neuronal migration in zebrafish

During vertebrate gastrulation, mesodermal and ectodermal cells undergo convergent extension, a process characterised by prominent cellular rearrangements in which polarised cells intercalate along the medio-lateral axis leading to elongation of the antero-posterior axis. Recently, it has become evident that a noncanonical Wnt/Frizzled (Fz)/Dishevelled (Dsh) signalling pathway, which is related to the planar-cell-polarity (PCP) pathway in flies, regulates convergent extension during vertebrate gastrulation. Here we isolate and functionally characterise a zebrafish homologue of Drosophila prickle (pk), a gene that is implicated in the regulation of PCP. Zebrafish pk1 is expressed maternally and in moving mesodermal precursors. Abrogation of Pk1 function by morpholino oligonucleotides leads to defective convergent extension movements, enhances the silberblick (slb)/wnt11 and pipetail (Ppt)/wnt5 phenotypes and suppresses the ability of Wnt11 to rescue the slb phenotype. Gain-of-function of Pk1 also inhibits convergent extension movements and enhances the slb phenotype, most likely caused by the ability of Pk1 to block the Fz7-dependent membrane localisation of Dsh by downregulating levels of Dsh protein. Furthermore, we show that pk1 interacts genetically with trilobite (tri)/strabismus to mediate the caudally directed migration of cranial motor neurons and convergent extension. These results indicate that, during zebrafish gastrulation Pk1 acts, in part, through interaction with the noncanonical Wnt11/Wnt5 pathway to regulate convergent extension cell movements, but is unlikely to simply be a linear component of this pathway. In addition, Pk1 interacts with Tri to mediate posterior migration of branchiomotor neurons, probably independent of the noncanonical Wnt pathway.     

Rap2 is required for Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in Xenopus early development

The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is critical for the establishment of organizer and embryonic body axis in Xenopus development. Here, we present evidence that Xenopus Rap2, a member of Ras GTPase family, is implicated in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling during the dorsoventral axis specification. Ectopic expression of XRap2 can lead to neural induction without mesoderm differentiation. XRap2 dorsalizes ventral tissues, inducing axis duplication, organizer-specific gene expression and convergent extension movements. Knockdown of XRap2 causes ventralized phenotypes including shortened body axis and defective dorsoanterior patterning, which are associated with aberrant Wnt signaling. In line with this, XRap2 depletion inhibits beta-catenin stabilization and the induction of ectopic dorsal axis and Wnt-responsive genes caused by XWnt8, Dsh or beta-catenin, but has no effect on the signaling activities of a stabilized beta-catenin. Its knockdown also disrupts the vesicular localization of Dsh, thereby inhibiting Dsh-mediated beta-catenin stabilization and the membrane recruitment and phosphorylation of Dsh by frizzled signaling. Taking together, we suggest that XRap2 is involved in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling as a modulator of the subcellular localization of Dsh.