Essential role of non-canonical Wnt signalling in neural crest migration

Planar cell polarity signaling in collective cell movements during morphogenesis and disease

Collective and directed cell movements are crucial for diverse developmental processes in the animal kingdom, but they are also involved in wound repair and disease. During these processes groups of cells are oriented within the tissue plane, which is referred to as planar cell polarity (PCP). This requires a tight regulation that is in part conducted by the PCP pathway. Although this pathway was initially characterized in flies, subsequent studies in vertebrates revealed a set of conserved core factors but also effector molecules and signal modulators, which build the fundamental PCP machinery. The PCP pathway in Drosophila regulates several developmental processes involving collective cell movements such as border cell migration during oogenesis, ommatidial rotation during eye development, and embryonic dorsal closure. During vertebrate embryogenesis, PCP signaling also controls collective and directed cell movements including convergent extension during gastrulation, neural tube closure, neural crest cell migration, or heart morphogenesis. Similarly, PCP signaling is linked to processes such as wound repair, and cancer invasion and metastasis in adults. As a consequence, disruption of PCP signaling leads to pathological conditions. In this review, we will summarize recent findings about the role of PCP signaling in collective cell movements in flies and vertebrates. In addition, we will focus on how studies in Drosophila have been relevant to our understanding of the PCP molecular machinery and will describe several developmental defects and human disorders in which PCP signaling is compromised. Therefore, new discoveries about the contribution of this pathway to collective cell movements could provide new potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for these disorders.

The hypoxia factor Hif-1α controls neural crest chemotaxis and epithelial to mesenchymal transition

One of the most important mechanisms that promotes metastasis is the stabilization of Hif-1 (hypoxia-inducible transcription factor 1). We decided to test whether Hif-1α also was required for early embryonic development. We focused our attention on the development of the neural crest, a highly migratory embryonic cell population whose behavior has been likened to cancer metastasis. Inhibition of Hif-1α by antisense morpholinos in Xenopus laevis or zebrafish embryos led to complete inhibition of neural crest migration. We show that Hif-1α controls the expression of Twist, which in turn represses E-cadherin during epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of neural crest cells. Thus, Hif-1α allows cells to initiate migration by promoting the release of cell-cell adhesions. Additionally, Hif-1α controls chemotaxis toward the chemokine SDF-1 by regulating expression of its receptor Cxcr4. Our results point to Hif-1α as a novel and key regulator that integrates EMT and chemotaxis during migration of neural crest cells.

Establishment of crown-root domain borders in mouse incisor

Teeth are composed of two domains, the enamel-covered crown and the enamel-free root. The understanding of the initiation and regulation of crown and root domain formation is important for the development of bioengineered teeth. In most teeth the crown develops before the root, and erupts to the oral cavity whereas the root anchors the tooth to the jawbone. However, in the continuously growing mouse incisor the crown and root domains form simultaneously, the crown domain forming the labial and the root domain the lingual part of the tooth. While the crown-root border on the incisor distal side supports the distal enamel extent, reflecting an evolutionary diet adaptation, on the incisor mesial side the root-like surface is necessary for the attachment of the interdental ligament between the two incisors. Therefore, the mouse incisor exhibits a functional distal-mesial asymmetry. Here, we used the mouse incisor as a model to understand the mechanisms involved in the crown-root border formation. We analyzed the cellular origins and gene expression patterns leading to the development of the mesial and distal crown-root borders. We discovered that Barx2, En1, Wnt11, and Runx3 were exclusively expressed on the mesial crown-root border. In addition, the distal border of the crown-root domain might be established by cells from a different origin and by an early Follistatin expression, factor known to be involved in the root domain formation. The use of different mechanisms to establish domain borders gives indications of the incisor functional asymmetry.

Calponin 2 acts as an effector of noncanonical Wnt-mediated cell polarization during neural crest cell migration

Neural crest cells (NCCs) migrate throughout the embryo to differentiate into cell types of all germ layers. Initial directed NCC emigration relies on planar cell polarity (PCP), which through the activity of the small GTPases RhoA and Rac governs the actin-driven formation of polarized cell protrusions. We found that the actin binding protein calponin 2 (Cnn2) was expressed in protrusions at the leading edge of migratory NCCs in chicks and frogs. Cnn2 knockdown resulted in NCC migration defects in frogs and chicks and randomized outgrowth of cell protrusions in NCC explants. Morphant cells showed central stress fibers at the expense of the peripheral actin network. Cnn2 acted downstream of Wnt/PCP, as migration defects induced by dominant-negative Wnt11 or inhibition of RhoA function were rescued by Cnn2 knockdown. These results suggest that Cnn2 modulates actin dynamics during NCC migration as an effector of noncanonical Wnt/PCP signaling.

Embryonic and larval neural connectivity: progressive changes in synapse form and function at the neuromuscular junction mediated by cytoskeletal regulation

During development, precise formation of millions of synaptic connections is critical for the formation of a functional nervous system. Synaptogenesis is a complex multistep process in which axons follow gradients of secreted and cell surface guidance cues to reach their target area, at which point they must accurately distinguish their specific target. Upon target recognition, the axonal growth cone undergoes rapid growth and morphological changes, ultimately forming a functional synapse that continues to remodel during activity-dependent plasticity. Significant evidence suggests that the underlying actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeletons are key effectors throughout synaptogenesis downstream of numerous receptors and signaling pathways. An increasing number of cytoskeletal-associated proteins have been shown to influence actin and MT stability and dynamics and many of these regulators have been implicated during synaptic morphogenesis using both mammalian and invertebrate model systems. In this review, we present an overview of the role cytoskeletal regulators play during the formation of the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.

Requirement for Dlgh-1 in planar cell polarity and skeletogenesis during vertebrate development

The development of specialized organs is tightly linked to the regulation of cell growth, orientation, migration and adhesion during embryogenesis. In addition, the directed movements of cells and their orientation within the plane of a tissue, termed planar cell polarity (PCP), appear to be crucial for the proper formation of the body plan. In Drosophila embryogenesis, Discs large (dlg) plays a critical role in apical-basal cell polarity, cell adhesion and cell proliferation. Craniofacial defects in mice carrying an insertional mutation in Dlgh-1 suggest that Dlgh-1 is required for vertebrate development. To determine what roles Dlgh-1 plays in vertebrate development, we generated mice carrying a null mutation in Dlgh-1. We found that deletion of Dlgh-1 caused open eyelids, open neural tube, and misorientation of cochlear hair cell stereociliary bundles, indicative of defects in planar cell polarity (PCP). Deletion of Dlgh-1 also caused skeletal defects throughout the embryo. These findings identify novel roles for Dlgh-1 in vertebrates that differ from its well-characterized roles in invertebrates and suggest that the Dlgh-1 null mouse may be a useful animal model to study certain human congenital birth defects.

p53, SKP2, and DKK3 as MYCN Target Genes and Their Potential Therapeutic Significance

Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor of childhood. Despite significant advances, it currently still remains one of the most difficult childhood cancers to cure, with less than 40% of patients with high-risk disease being long-term survivors. MYCN is a proto-oncogene implicated to be directly involved in neuroblastoma development. Amplification of MYCN is associated with rapid tumor progression and poor prognosis. Novel therapeutic strategies which can improve the survival rates whilst reducing the toxicity in these patients are therefore required. Here we discuss genes regulated by MYCN in neuroblastoma, with particular reference to p53, SKP2, and DKK3 and strategies that may be employed to target them.

Collective mesendoderm migration relies on an intrinsic directionality signal transmitted through cell contacts

Collective cell migration is key to morphogenesis, wound healing, or cancer cell migration. However, its cellular bases are just starting to be unraveled. During vertebrate gastrulation, axial mesendoderm migrates in a group, the prechordal plate, from the embryonic organizer to the animal pole. How this collective migration is achieved remains unclear. Previous work has suggested that cells migrate as individuals, with collective movement resulting from the addition of similar individual cell behavior. Through extensive analyses of cell trajectories, morphologies, and polarization in zebrafish embryos, we reveal that all prechordal plate cells show the same behavior and rely on the same signaling pathway to migrate, as expected if they do so individually. However, by using cell transplants, we demonstrate that prechordal plate migration is a true collective process, as isolated cells do not migrate toward the animal pole. They are still polarized and motile but lose directionality. Directionality is restored upon contact with the endogenous prechordal plate. This contact dependent orientation relies on E-cadherin, Wnt-PCP signaling, and Rac1. Importantly, groups of cells also need contact with the endogenous plate to orient correctly, showing an instructive role of the plate in establishing directionality. Overall, our results lead to an original model of collective migration in which directional information is contained within the moving group rather than provided by extrinsic cues, and constantly maintained in cells by contacts with their neighbors. This self-organizing model could account for collective invasion of new territories, as observed in cancer strands, without requirement for any attractant in the colonized tissue.

The Dishevelled-associating protein Daple controls the non-canonical Wnt/Rac pathway and cell motility

Dishevelled is the common mediator of canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling pathways, which are important for embryonic development, tissue maintenance and cancer progression. In the non-canonical Wnt signalling pathway, the Rho family of small GTPases acting downstream of Dishevelled has essential roles in cell migration. The mechanisms by which the non-canonical Wnt signalling pathway regulates Rac activation remain unknown. Here we show that Daple (Dishevelled-associating protein with a high frequency of leucine residues) regulates Wnt5a-mediated activation of Rac and formation of lamellipodia through interaction with Dishevelled. Daple increases the association of Dishevelled with an isoform of atypical protein kinase C, consequently promoting Rac activation. Accordingly, Daple deficiency impairs migration of fibroblasts and epithelial cells during wound healing in vivo. These findings indicate that Daple interacts with Dishevelled to direct the Dishevelled/protein kinase λ protein complex to activate Rac, which in turn mediates the non-canonical Wnt signalling pathway required for cell migration.

Signaling and transcriptional regulation in neural crest specification and migration: lessons from xenopus embryos

The neural crest is a population of highly migratory and multipotent cells, which arises from the border of the neural plate in vertebrate embryos. In the last few years, the molecular actors of neural crest early development have been intensively studied, notably by using the frog embryo, as a prime model for the analysis of the earliest embryonic inductions. In addition, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the molecular and cellular basis of Xenopus cranial neural crest migration, by combining in vitro and in vivo analysis. In this review, we examine how the action of previously known neural crest-inducing signals [bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), wingless-int (Wnt), fibroblast growth factor (FGF)] is controlled by newly discovered modulators during early neural plate border patterning and neural crest specification. This regulation controls the induction of key transcription factors that cooperate to pattern the premigratory neural crest progenitors. These data are discussed in the perspective of the gene regulatory network that controls neural and neural crest patterning. We then address recent findings on noncanonical Wnt signaling regulation, cell polarization, and collective cell migration which highlight how cranial neural crest cells populate their target tissue, the branchial arches, in vivo. More than ever, the neural crest stands as a powerful and attractive model to decipher complex vertebrate regulatory circuits in vivo.

Antagonistic activities of Rho and Rac GTPases underlie the transition from neural crest delamination to migration

BACKGROUND

Neural crest progenitors arise as epithelial cells and then undergo a transition into mesenchyme that generates motility. Previously, we showed that active Rho maintains crest cells in the epithelial conformation by keeping stress fibers and membrane-bound N-cadherin.

RESULTS

While Rho disappears from cell membranes upon delamination, active Rac1 becomes apparent in lamellipodia of mesenchymal cells. Loss of Rac1 function at trunk levels inhibited NC migration but did not prevent cell emigration that is associated with N-cadherin downregulation and G1/S transition. Furthermore, inhibition of Rho stimulated premature Rac1 activity and consequent formation of lamellipodia, leading to NC migration. To examine whether timely migration influences cell fate, Rac1 activity was transiently inhibited to delay dispersion of early NC cells that generate neural derivatives, and its activity was restored by the time of melanoblast migration. Even if confronted with a melanocytic environment, late-dispersing progenitors colonized sensory ganglia where they generated neurons and glia.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of crest delamination and migration, activities of Rho and Rac are differential, sequential, and antagonistic. Furthermore, transient inhibition of Rac1 that delays the onset of crest dispersion raises the possibility that the fate of trunk neural progenitors might be restricted prior to migration.

Can mesenchymal cells undergo collective cell migration? The case of the neural crest

Cell migration is critical for proper development of the embryo and is also used by many cell types to perform their physiological function. For instance, cell migration is essential for immune cells to monitor the body and for epithelial cells to heal a wound whereas, in cancer cells, acquisition of migratory capabilities is a critical step towards malignancy. Migratory cells are often categorized into two groups: mesenchymal cells, produced by an epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition, that undergo solitary migration and epithelial-like cells which migrate collectively. However, on some occasions, mesenchymal cells may travel in large, dense groups and exhibit key features of collectively migrating cells such as coordination and cooperation. Here, using data published on Neural Crest cells, a highly invasive mesenchymal cell population that extensively migrate throughout the embryo, we explore the idea that other mesenchymal cells, including cancer cells, might be able to undergo collective cell migration under certain conditions and discuss how they could do so.

Neural crest specification by noncanonical Wnt signaling and PAR-1

Neural crest (NC) cells are multipotent progenitors that form at the neural plate border, undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migrate to diverse locations in vertebrate embryos to give rise to many cell types. Multiple signaling factors, including Wnt proteins, operate during early embryonic development to induce the NC cell fate. Whereas the requirement for the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in NC specification has been well established, a similar role for Wnt proteins that do not stabilize β-catenin has remained unclear. Our gain- and loss-of-function experiments implicate Wnt11-like proteins in NC specification in Xenopus embryos. In support of this conclusion, modulation of β-catenin-independent signaling through Dishevelled and Ror2 causes predictable changes in premigratory NC. Morpholino-mediated depletion experiments suggest that Wnt11R, a Wnt protein that is expressed in neuroectoderm adjacent to the NC territory, is required for NC formation. Wnt11-like signals might specify NC by altering the localization and activity of the serine/threonine polarity kinase PAR-1 (also known as microtubule-associated regulatory kinase or MARK), which itself plays an essential role in NC formation. Consistent with this model, PAR-1 RNA rescues NC markers in embryos in which noncanonical Wnt signaling has been blocked. These experiments identify novel roles for Wnt11R and PAR-1 in NC specification and reveal an unexpected connection between morphogenesis and cell fate.

Neural crest migration: interplay between chemorepellents, chemoattractants, contact inhibition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and collective cell migration

Neural crest (NC) cells are induced at the border of the neural plate and subsequently leave the neuroepithelium during a delamination phase. This delamination involves either a complete or partial epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition, which is directly followed by an extensive cell migration. During migration, NC cells are exposed to a wide variety of signals controlling their polarity and directionality, allowing them to colonize specific areas or preventing them from invading forbidden zones. For instance, NC cells are restricted to very precise pathways by the presence of inhibitory signals at the borders of each route, such as Semaphorins, Ephrins, and Slit/Robo. Although specific NC chemoattractants have been recently identified, there is evidence that repulsive interactions between the cells, in a process called contact inhibition of locomotion, is one of the major driving forces behind directional migration. Interestingly, in cellular and molecular terms, the invasive behavior of NC is similar to the invasion of cancer cells during metastasis. NC cells eventually settle in various places and make an immense contribution to the vertebrate body. They form the major constituents of the skull, the peripheral nervous system, and the pigment cells among others, which show the remarkable diversity and importance of this embryonic-stem cell like cell population. Consequently, several birth defects and craniofacial disorders, such as Treacher Collins syndrome, are due to improper NC cell migration.

Neural crest delamination and migration: from epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition to collective cell migration

After induction and specification in the ectoderm, at the border of the neural plate, the neural crest (NC) population leaves its original territory through a delamination process. Soon afterwards, the NC cells migrate throughout the embryo and colonize a myriad of tissues and organs where they settle and differentiate. The delamination involves a partial or complete epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition (EMT) regulated by a complex network of transcription factors including several proto-oncogenes. Studying the relationship between these genes at the time of emigration, and their individual or collective impact on cell behavior, provides valuable information about their role in EMT in other contexts such as cancer metastasis. During migration, NC cells are exposed to large number of positive and negative regulators that control where they go by generating permissive and restricted areas and by modulating their motility and directionality. In addition, as most NC cells migrate collectively, cell-cell interactions play a crucial role in polarizing the cells and interpreting external cues. Cell cooperation eventually generates an overall polarity to the population, leading to directional collective cell migration. This review will summarize our current knowledge on delamination, EMT and migration of NC cells using key examples from chicken, Xenopus, zebrafish and mouse embryos. Given the similarities between neural crest migration and cancer invasion, these cells may represent a useful model for understanding the mechanisms of metastasis.

The many roles of PTK7: a versatile regulator of cell-cell communication

PTK7 (protein tyrosine kinase 7) is an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane receptor with functions in various processes ranging from embryonic morphogenesis to epidermal wound repair. Here, we review recent findings indicating that PTK7 is a versatile co-receptor that functions as a molecular switch in Wnt, Semaphorin/Plexin and VEGF signaling pathways. We focus in particular on the role of PTK7 in Wnt signaling, as recent data indicate that PTK7 acts as a Wnt co-receptor, which activates the planar cell polarity pathway, but inhibits canonical Wnt signaling.

Wnt11 in 2011 - the regulation and function of a non-canonical Wnt

Genetic studies of Wnt11 have revealed many insights into the roles and regulation of Wnt11, particularly during development. New tools to study Wnt11 have recently become available, making it timely to review the literature regarding this unique Wnt family member. In this study, we focus on mammalian Wnt11, describing its main sites of expression during development, and how the Wnt11 gene is regulated. We highlight an emerging theme in which canonical Wnt signals regulate Wnt11 expression through transcription factors in addition to, or other than, Tcf/LEF family members. We also discuss the frizzled family and other receptors that bind to Wnt11, the intracellular kinases and small GTPases that act downstream of Wnt11, and the effects of Wnt11 on Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Finally, we elaborate on the relevance of Wnt11 to human cancer, where it appears to be important both for proliferation and/or survival during normal differentiation and for migration/invasion.

Dual roles for Wnt signalling during the formation of the vertebrate neuromuscular junction

Wnt proteins play prominent roles in different aspects of neuronal development culminating with the formation of complex neuronal circuits. Here, we discuss new studies addressing the function of Wnt signalling at the peripheral neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In both, invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, Wnt signalling promotes and also inhibits the assembly of the neuromuscular synapse. Here, we focus our attention on recent studies at the vertebrate NMJ that demonstrate that some Wnt proteins collaborate with the Agrin-MuSK signalling to induce post-synaptic differentiation. In contrast, Wnts that activate the Wnt/β-catenin signalling inhibit post-synaptic differentiation. The dual function of different Wnts might finely modulate the proper apposition of the pre- and post-synaptic terminals during NMJ formation and growth.

The planar cell polarity pathway and parietal endoderm cell migration

Parietal endoderm (PE) migration is the first long-range migratory event in the mammalian embryo contributing to the parietal yolk sac. PE migration can be studied in vitro using the F9 teratocarcinoma stem cell model system. We have found that PE migration is directed and modulated via the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway through Rho/ROCK signaling. Wnt inhibition using sFRP results in a loss of orientation, visualized by Golgi apparatus localization, along with disorganized microtubules and a lack of robust focal adhesions. Small GTPases are downstream of PCP signaling and Rho/ROCK inhibition results in a loss of orientation, whereas inhibition of Rac does not affect PCP. Activation of canonical Wnt signaling combined with Wnt inhibition does not prevent loss of oriented migration. These data support a role for non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling directing oriented migration of PE.

Planar cell polarity signaling pathway in congenital heart diseases

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common cardiac disorder in humans. Despite many advances in the understanding of CHD and the identification of many associated genes, the fundamental etiology for the majority of cases remains unclear. The planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway, responsible for tissue polarity in Drosophila and gastrulation movements and cardiogenesis in vertebrates, has been shown to play multiple roles during cardiac differentiation and development. The disrupted function of PCP signaling is connected to some CHDs. Here, we summarize our current understanding of how PCP factors affect the pathogenesis of CHD.

Planar cell polarity signaling in craniofacial development

Out of the several signaling pathways controlling craniofacial development, the role of planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling is relatively poorly understood. This pathway, originally identified as a mechanism to maintain cell polarity within the epithelial cells of the Drosophila wing, has been linked to the proper development of a wide variety of tissues in vertebrates and invertebrates. While many of the pathway members are conserved, it appears that some of the members of the pathway act in a tissue-specific manner. Here, we discuss the role of this pathway in vertebrate craniofacial development, highlighting cranial neural crest migration, skull and palate formation and the role of non-traditional modulators of PCP signaling within this developmental process.

A novel role for MuSK and non-canonical Wnt signaling during segmental neural crest cell migration

Trunk neural crest cells delaminate from the dorsal neural tube as an uninterrupted sheet; however, they convert into segmentally organized streams before migrating through the somitic territory. These neural crest cell streams join the segmental trajectories of pathfinding spinal motor axons, suggesting that interactions between these two cell types might be important for neural crest cell migration. Here, we show that in the zebrafish embryo migration of both neural crest cells and motor axons is temporally synchronized and spatially restricted to the center of the somite, but that motor axons are dispensable for segmental neural crest cell migration. Instead, we find that muscle-specific receptor kinase (MuSK) and its putative ligand Wnt11r are crucial for restricting neural crest cell migration to the center of each somite. Moreover, we find that blocking planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling in somitic muscle cells also results in non-segmental neural crest cell migration. Using an F-actin biosensor we show that in the absence of MuSK neural crest cells fail to retract non-productive leading edges, resulting in non-segmental migration. Finally, we show that MuSK knockout mice display similar neural crest cell migration defects, suggesting a novel, evolutionarily conserved role for MuSK in neural crest migration. We propose that a Wnt11r-MuSK dependent, PCP-like pathway restricts neural crest cells to their segmental path.

Development of the zebrafish enteric nervous system

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is composed of neurons and glia that modulate many aspects of intestinal function. The ability to use both forward and reverse genetic approaches and to visualize development in living embryos and larvae has made zebrafish an attractive model in which to study mechanisms underlying ENS development. In this chapter, we review the recent work describing the development and organization of the zebrafish ENS and how this relates to intestinal motility. We also discuss the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that have been revealed by these studies and how they are providing new insights into human ENS diseases.

A decade of advances in the molecular embryology and genetics underlying congenital heart defects

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of human birth defect and result in significant mortality worldwide. Despite numerous epidemiologic studies in the past decades, few genetic causes have been identified until recently. CHD result from abnormal morphogenesis of the systematic cardiovascular construction during development. Recent advances in molecular embryology, including the discovery of a new source of cardiac progenitor cells termed the second heart field (SHF), have revealed that the heart arises from multiple distinct embryonic origins. Cells derived from the SHF contribute to the development of the cardiac outflow tract, together with the other progenitor cell lineage called cardiac neural crest cells. Numerous cardiac transcription factors regulate these progenitor cells during heart development. Elucidation of the transcriptional network for these cardiac progenitor cells is essential for further understanding cardiac development and providing new insights into the morphogenesis of CHD. This review outlines the recent discoveries of the molecular embryology of the normal heart and the genetic basis of CHD.

Planar polarity pathway and Nance-Horan syndrome-like 1b have essential cell-autonomous functions in neuronal migration

Components of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway are required for the caudal tangential migration of facial branchiomotor (FBM) neurons, but how PCP signaling regulates this migration is not understood. In a forward genetic screen, we identified a new gene, nhsl1b, required for FBM neuron migration. nhsl1b encodes a WAVE-homology domain-containing protein related to human Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) protein and Drosophila GUK-holder (Gukh), which have been shown to interact with components of the WAVE regulatory complex that controls cytoskeletal dynamics and with the polarity protein Scribble, respectively. Nhsl1b localizes to FBM neuron membrane protrusions and interacts physically and genetically with Scrib to control FBM neuron migration. Using chimeric analysis, we show that FBM neurons have two modes of migration: one involving interactions between the neurons and their planar-polarized environment, and an alternative, collective mode involving interactions between the neurons themselves. We demonstrate that the first mode of migration requires the cell-autonomous functions of Nhsl1b and the PCP components Scrib and Vangl2 in addition to the non-autonomous functions of Scrib and Vangl2, which serve to polarize the epithelial cells in the environment of the migrating neurons. These results define a role for Nhsl1b as a neuronal effector of PCP signaling and indicate that proper FBM neuron migration is directly controlled by PCP signaling between the epithelium and the migrating neurons.

Caldesmon regulates actin dynamics to influence cranial neural crest migration in Xenopus

A nonmuscle caldesmon (CaD) is highly expressed in premigratory and migrating Xenopus cranial neural crest cells. A loss-of-function approach shows that CaD is critical for neural crest migration. The results further suggest that CaD influences cell morphology and motility by modulating actin dynamics in neural crest cells.

Caldesmon (CaD) is an important actin modulator that associates with actin filaments to regulate cell morphology and motility. Although extensively studied in cultured cells, there is little functional information regarding the role of CaD in migrating cells in vivo. Here we show that nonmuscle CaD is highly expressed in both premigratory and migrating cranial neural crest cells of Xenopus embryos. Depletion of CaD with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides causes cranial neural crest cells to migrate a significantly shorter distance, prevents their segregation into distinct migratory streams, and later results in severe defects in cartilage formation. Demonstrating specificity, these effects are rescued by adding back exogenous CaD. Interestingly, CaD proteins with mutations in the Ca²⁺-calmodulin–binding sites or ErK/Cdk1 phosphorylation sites fail to rescue the knockdown phenotypes, whereas mutation of the PAK phosphorylation site is able to rescue them. Analysis of neural crest explants reveals that CaD is required for the dynamic arrangements of actin and, thus, for cell shape changes and process formation. Taken together, these results suggest that the actin-modulating activity of CaD may underlie its critical function and is regulated by distinct signaling pathways during normal neural crest migration.

Control of neural crest cell behavior and migration: Insights from live imaging

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a remarkable, dynamic group of cells that travel long distances in the embryo to reach their target sites. They are responsible for the formation of craniofacial bones and cartilage, neurons and glia in the peripheral nervous system, and pigment cells. Live imaging of NCCs as they traverse the embryo has been critical to increasing our knowledge of their biology. NCCs exhibit multiple behaviors and communicate with each other and their environment along each step of their journey. Imaging combined with molecular manipulations has led to insights into the mechanisms controlling these behaviors. In this review, we highlight studies that have used live imaging to provide novel insight into NCC migration and discuss how continued use of such techniques can advance our understanding of NCC biology.

Calcium-mediated repression of β-catenin and its transcriptional signaling mediates neural crest cell death in an avian model of fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a common birth defect in many societies. Affected individuals have neurodevelopmental disabilities and a distinctive craniofacial dysmorphology. These latter deficits originate during early development from the ethanol-mediated apoptotic depletion of cranial facial progenitors, a population known as the neural crest. We showed previously that this apoptosis is caused because acute ethanol exposure activates G-protein-dependent intracellular calcium within cranial neural crest progenitors, and this calcium transient initiates the cell death. The dysregulated signals that reside downstream of ethanol's calcium transient and effect neural crest death are unknown. Here we show that ethanol's repression of the transcriptional effector β-catenin causes the neural crest losses. Clinically relevant ethanol concentrations (22-78 mM) rapidly deplete nuclear β-catenin from neural crest progenitors, with accompanying losses of β-catenin transcriptional activity and downstream genes that govern neural crest induction, expansion, and survival. Using forced expression studies, we show that β-catenin loss of function (via dominant-negative T cell transcription factor [TCF]) recapitulates ethanol's effects on neural crest apoptosis, whereas β-catenin gain-of-function in ethanol's presence preserves neural crest survival. Blockade of ethanol's calcium transient using Bapta-AM normalizes β-catenin activity and prevents the neural crest losses, whereas ionomycin treatment is sufficient to destabilize β-catenin. We propose that ethanol's repression of β-catenin causes the neural crest losses in this model of FAS. β-Catenin is a novel target for ethanol's teratogenicity. β-Catenin/Wnt signals participate in many developmental events and its rapid and persistent dysregulation by ethanol may explain why the latter is such a potent teratogen.

Neural crest regulates myogenesis through the transient activation of NOTCH

How dynamic signalling and extensive tissue rearrangements interact to generate complex patterns and shapes during embryogenesis is poorly understood. Here we characterize the signalling events taking place during early morphogenesis of chick skeletal muscles. We show that muscle progenitors present in somites require the transient activation of NOTCH signalling to undergo terminal differentiation. The NOTCH ligand Delta1 is expressed in a mosaic pattern in neural crest cells that migrate past the somites. Gain and loss of Delta1 function in neural crest modifies NOTCH signalling in somites, which results in delayed or premature myogenesis. Our results indicate that the neural crest regulates early muscle formation by a unique mechanism that relies on the migration of Delta1-expressing neural crest cells to trigger the transient activation of NOTCH signalling in selected muscle progenitors. This dynamic signalling guarantees a balanced and progressive differentiation of the muscle progenitor pool.

Getting to the heart of planar cell polarity signaling

The genes that underpin normal heart development, and which can be disrupted to result in congenital structural malformations, are rapidly being uncovered. However, the specific cellular processes that lie downstream of these genetic cascades, accurately shaping tissues and complex structures within the heart, remain relatively unclear. The noncanonical Wnt planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway is known to have a role in embryonic morphogenesis and as such is an important candidate pathway to carry out these roles in heart development. The pathway regulates the polarization of cells in a variety of contexts, allowing cells to change shape and position and to "know" their orientation within a mass of tissue. PCP signaling has also been shown recently to regulate the cellular position of the primary cilium. This organelle is known to be crucial for the establishment of left-right patterning in the early embryo and may also act as a signaling antenna for other developmental and regulatory pathways. It is not surprising that recent studies have also linked PCP to left-right patterning. In this review, we will examine the current evidence suggesting that PCP signaling has a central role in cardiac development and malformation.

Noncanonical Wnt signaling in vertebrate development, stem cells, and diseases

Wnt signaling regulates many aspects of vertebrate development and adult stem cells. Deregulation of Wnt signaling causes development defect and cancer. The signaling is categorized in two pathways: canonical and noncanonical. Both pathways are initiated by Wnt ligands and Frizzled receptors. Canonical pathway leads to β-catenin:T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor-mediated gene expression, which regulates proliferation and differentiation of cells. Noncanonical Wnt signaling is mediated by intracellular calcium ion and JNK. This signaling leads to NFAT, a key transcriptional factor regulating gene expression. In addition, β-catenin:T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor-mediated gene expression is downregulated by CaMKII-TAK1-NLK. Cellular polarity and motility are the main outcomes of the signaling. During development, noncanonical Wnt signaling is required for tissue formation. Recent studies have shown that atypical cadherin Flamingo contributes to noncanonical Wnt signaling by directing the migration of cells. Also, noncanonical Wnt signaling is required for maintenance of adult stem cells. In the field of cancer research, noncanonical Wnt signaling has been considered a tumor suppressor; however, recent evidence has shown that the signaling also enhances cancer progression in the later stages of disease. In this review, we describe and discuss components of noncanonical Wnt signaling, diseases caused by deregulation of the signaling, regulation of adult stem cells by the signaling, and implications in cancer biology.

Dermis-derived stem cells: a source of epidermal melanocytes and melanoma?

Human multipotent dermal stem cells (DSCs) have been isolated and propagated from the dermal region of neonatal foreskin. DSCs can self-renew, express the neural crest stem cell markers NGFRp75 and nestin, and are capable of differentiating into a wide variety of cell types including mesenchymal and neuronal lineages and melanocytes, indicative of their neural crest origin. When placed in the context of reconstructed skin, DSCs migrate to the basement membrane zone and differentiate into melanocytes. These findings, combined with the identification of NGFRp75-positive cells in the dermis of human foreskin, which are devoid of hair, suggest that DSCs may be a self-renewing source of extrafollicular epidermal melanocytes. In this review, we discuss the properties of DSCs, the pathways required for melanocyte differentiation, and the value of 3D reconstructed skin to assess the behavior and contribution of DSCs in the naturalized environment of human skin. Potentially, DSCs provide a link to malignant melanoma by being a target of UVA-induced transformation.

Modeling the control of planar cell polarity

A growing list of medically important developmental defects and disease mechanisms can be traced to disruption of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. The PCP system polarizes cells in epithelial sheets along an axis orthogonal to their apical-basal axis. Studies in the fruitfly, Drosophila, have suggested that components of the PCP signaling system function in distinct modules, and that these modules and the effector systems with which they interact function together to produce emergent patterns. Experimental methods allow the manipulation of individual PCP signaling molecules in specified groups of cells; these interventions not only perturb the polarization of the targeted cells at a subcellular level, but also perturb patterns of polarity at the multicellular level, often affecting nearby cells in characteristic ways. These kinds of experiments should, in principle, allow one to infer the architecture of the PCP signaling system, but the relationships between molecular interactions and tissue-level pattern are sufficiently complex that they defy intuitive understanding. Mathematical modeling has been an important tool to address these problems. This article explores the emergence of a local signaling hypothesis, and describes how a local intercellular signal, coupled with a directional cue, can give rise to global pattern. We will discuss the critical role mathematical modeling has played in guiding and interpreting experimental results, and speculate about future roles for mathematical modeling of PCP. Mathematical models at varying levels of inhibition have and are expected to continue contributing in distinct ways to understanding the regulation of PCP signaling.

The planar cell polarity pathway in vertebrate development

Directing the orientation of cells in three dimensions is a fundamental aspect of many of the processes underlying the generation of the appropriate shape and function of tissues and organs during embryonic development. In an epithelium, this requires not only the establishment of apicobasal polarity, but also cell arrangement in a specific direction in the plane of the cell sheet. The molecular pathway central to regulating this planar cell polarity (PCP) was originally discovered in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and has more recently been shown to act in a highly analogous way in vertebrates, involving a strongly overlapping set of genes. Mutant studies and molecular analyses have led to insights into the role of ordered planar cell polarity in the development of a wide variety of organs and tissues. In this review, we give an overview of recent developments in the study of planar polarity signaling in vertebrates.

Signals controlling neural crest contributions to the heart

Cardiac neural crest cells represent a unique subpopulation of cranial neural crest cells that are specified, delaminate and migrate from the developing neural tube to the caudal pharynx where they support aortic arch artery development. From the caudal pharynx, a subset of these cells migrates into the cardiac outflow tract where they are needed for outflow septation. Many signaling factors are known to be involved in specifying and triggering the migration of neural crest cells. These factors have not been specifically studied in cardiac crest but are assumed to be the same as for the other regions of crest. Signaling factors like Ephs and Semaphorins guide the cells into the caudal pharynx. Support of the cells in the pharynx is from endothelin, PDGF and the TGFbeta/BMP signaling pathways. Mutants in the TGFbeta/BMP pathway show abnormal migration or survival in the pharynx, whereas the migration of the neural crest cells into the outflow tract is orchestrated by Semaphorin/Plexin signaling. Although TGFbeta family members have been well studied and show defective neural crest function in outflow septation, their mechanism of action remains unclear.

Activity of the RhoU/Wrch1 GTPase is critical for cranial neural crest cell migration

The neural crest (NC) is a stem cell-like population that arises at the border of neural and non-neural ectoderm. During development, NC undergoes an epithelio-mesenchymal transition (EMT), i.e. loss of epithelial junctions and acquisition of pro-migratory properties, invades the entire embryo and differentiates into a wide diversity of terminal tissues. We have studied the implication of Rho pathways in NC development and previously showed that RhoV is required for cranial neural crest (CNC) cell specification. We show here that the non-canonical Wnt response rhoU/wrch1 gene, closely related to rhoV, is also expressed in CNC cells but at later stages. Using both gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we demonstrate that the level of RhoU expression is critical for CNC cell migration and subsequent differentiation into craniofacial cartilages. In in vitro cultures, RhoU activates pathways that cooperate with PAK1 and Rac1 in epithelial adhesion, cell spreading and directional cell migration. These data support the conclusion that RhoU is an essential regulator of CNC cell migration.

Regulation of cell adhesions and motility during initiation of neural crest migration

Accurate neural crest cell (NCC) migration requires tight control of cell adhesions, cytoskeletal dynamics and cell motility. Cadherins and RhoGTPases are critical molecular players that regulate adhesions and motility during initial delamination of NCCs from the neuroepithelium. Recent studies have revealed multiple functions for these molecules and suggest that a precise balance of their activity is crucial. RhoGTPase appears to regulate both cell adhesions and protrusive forces during NCC delamination. Increasing evidence shows that cadherins are multi-functional proteins with novel, adhesion-independent signaling functions that control NCC motility during both delamination and migration. These functions are often regulated by specific proteolytic cleavage of cadherins. After NCC delamination, planar cell polarity signaling acts via RhoGTPases to control NCC protrusions and migration direction.

Mechanism of Xenopus cranial neural crest cell migration

This review focuses on recent advances in the field of cranial neural crest cell migration in Xenopus laevis with specific emphasis on cell adhesion and the regulation of cell migration. Our goal is to combine the understanding of cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix with the regulation of cell-cell adhesion and the involvement of the planar cell polarity signaling-pathway in guiding the migration of cranial neural crest cells during embryogenesis.

Mechanisms driving neural crest induction and migration in the zebrafish and Xenopus laevis

The neural crest is an evolutionary adaptation, with roots in the formation of mesoderm. Modification of neural crest behavior has been is critical for the evolutionary diversification of the vertebrates and defects in neural crest underlie a range of human birth defects. There has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge of the molecular, cellular, and inductive interactions that converge on defining the neural crest and determining its behavior. While there is a temptation to look for simple models to explain neural crest behavior, the reality is that the system is complex in its circuitry. In this review, our goal is to identify the broad features of neural crest origins (developmentally) and migration (cellularly) using data from the zebrafish (teleost) and Xenopus laevis (tetrapod amphibian) in order to illuminate where general mechanisms appear to be in play, and equally importantly, where disparities in experimental results suggest areas of profitable study.

Planar cell polarity signaling: the developing cell's compass

Cells of many tissues acquire cellular asymmetry to execute their physiologic functions. The planar cell polarity system, first characterized in Drosophila, is important for many of these events. Studies in Drosophila suggest that an upstream system breaks cellular symmetry by converting tissue gradients to subcellular asymmetry, whereas a downstream system amplifies subcellular asymmetry and communicates polarity between cells. In this review, we discuss apparent similarities and differences in the mechanism that controls PCP as it has been adapted to a broad variety of morphological cellular asymmetries in various organisms.

ADAM13 induces cranial neural crest by cleaving class B Ephrins and regulating Wnt signaling

The cranial neural crest (CNC) consists of multipotent embryonic cells that contribute to craniofacial structures and other cells and tissues of the vertebrate head. During embryogenesis, CNC is induced at the neural plate boundary through the interplay of several major signaling pathways. Here, we report that the metalloproteinase activity of ADAM13 is required for early induction of CNC in Xenopus. In both cultured cells and X. tropicalis embryos, membrane-bound Ephrins (Efns) B1 and B2 were identified as substrates for ADAM13. ADAM13 upregulates canonical Wnt signaling and early expression of the transcription factor snail2, whereas EfnB1 inhibits the canonical Wnt pathway and snail2 expression. We propose that by cleaving class B Efns, ADAM13 promotes canonical Wnt signaling and early CNC induction.

Palate morphogenesis: current understanding and future directions

In the past, most scientists conducted their inquiries of nature via inductivism, the patient accumulation of "pieces of information" in the pious hope that the sum of the parts would clarify the whole. Increasingly, modern biology employs the tools of bioinformatics and systems biology in attempts to reveal the "big picture." Most successful laboratories engaged in the pursuit of the secrets of embryonic development, particularly those whose research focus is craniofacial development, pursue a middle road where research efforts embrace, rather than abandon, what some have called the "pedestrian" qualities of inductivism, while increasingly employing modern data mining technologies. The secondary palate has provided an excellent paradigm that has enabled examination of a wide variety of developmental processes. Examination of cellular signal transduction, as it directs embryogenesis, has proven exceptionally revealing with regard to clarification of the "facts" of palatal ontogeny-at least the facts as we currently understand them. Herein, we review the most basic fundamentals of orofacial embryology and discuss how functioning of TGFbeta, BMP, Shh, and Wnt signal transduction pathways contributes to palatal morphogenesis. Our current understanding of palate medial edge epithelial differentiation is also examined. We conclude with a discussion of how the rapidly expanding field of epigenetics, particularly regulation of gene expression by miRNAs and DNA methylation, is critical to control of cell and tissue differentiation, and how examination of these epigenetic processes has already begun to provide a better understanding of, and greater appreciation for, the complexities of palatal morphogenesis.

The multiple phases and faces of wnt signaling during cardiac differentiation and development

Understanding heart development on a molecular level is a prerequisite for uncovering the causes of congenital heart diseases. Therapeutic approaches that try to enhance cardiac regeneration or that involve the differentiation of resident cardiac progenitor cells or patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells will also benefit tremendously from this knowledge. Wnt proteins have been shown to play multiple roles during cardiac differentiation and development. They are extracellular growth factors that activate different intracellular signaling branches. Here, we summarize our current understanding of how these factors affect different aspects of cardiogenesis, starting from early specification of cardiac progenitors and continuing on to later developmental steps, such as morphogenetic processes, valve formation, and establishment of the conduction system.

A system-wide investigation of the dynamics of Wnt signaling reveals novel phases of transcriptional regulation

Aberrant Wnt signaling has been implicated in a wide variety of cancers and many components of the Wnt signaling network have now been identified. Much less is known, however, about how these proteins are coordinately regulated. Here, a broad, quantitative, and dynamic study of Wnt3a-mediated stimulation of HEK 293 cells revealed two phases of transcriptional regulation: an early phase in which signaling antagonists were downregulated, providing positive feedback, and a later phase in which many of these same antagonists were upregulated, attenuating signaling. The dynamic expression profiles of several response genes, including MYC and CTBP1, correlated significantly with proliferation and migration (P<0.05). Additionally, their levels tracked with the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cell lines and they were significantly overexpressed in colorectal adenocarcinomas (P<0.05). Our data highlight CtBP1 as a transcription factor that contributes to positive feedback during the early phases of Wnt signaling and serves as a novel marker for colorectal cancer progression.

Xenopus Wnt11b is identified as a potential pronephric inducer

In this study, we aimed to establish if known wnt signaling molecules could be responsible for inducing early pronephros specification, using a novel and effective in vitro bioassay in Xenopus embryos. Anterior somites have the unique biological activity to signal to unspecified intermediate mesoderm to induce pronephros formation in Xenopus embryos. We have used a molecular candidate gene approach to analyze both canonical and noncanonical wnt expression in isolated anterior and posterior somites and dissected presumptive pronephros, pronephric anlagen, and pronephros from stage 12.5-35 embryos. We have identified potential candidate wnt genes expressed in the right time and place to specify pronephric development. These candidates were then directly tested in an in vitro pronephrogenesis assay based on Holtfreter sandwich cultures. Results revealed that noncanonical wnt11b and wnt11 can induce pronephros formation in vitro. Loss-of-function experiments confirmed that these genes are necessary for normal pronephros development.

Ror-family receptor tyrosine kinases in noncanonical Wnt signaling: their implications in developmental morphogenesis and human diseases

The Ror-family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play crucial roles in the development of various organs and tissues. In mammals, Ror2, a member of the Ror-family RTKs, has been shown to act as a receptor or coreceptor for Wnt5a to mediate noncanonical Wnt signaling. Ror2- and Wnt5a-deficient mice exhibit similar abnormalities during developmental morphogenesis, reflecting their defects in convergent extension movements and planar cell polarity, characteristic features mediated by noncanonical Wnt signaling. Furthermore, mutations within the human Ror2 gene are responsible for the genetic skeletal disorders dominant brachydactyly type B and recessive Robinow syndrome. Accumulating evidence demonstrate that Ror2 mediates noncanonical Wnt5a signaling by inhibiting the beta-catenin-TCF pathway and activating the Wnt/JNK pathway that results in polarized cell migration. In this article, we review recent progress in understanding the roles of noncanonical Wnt5a/Ror2 signaling in developmental morphogenesis and in human diseases, including heritable skeletal disorders and tumor invasion.