First published online May 12, 2005
Development 132, 1104e (2005)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Non-canonical signals for neural crest migration
During embryogenesis, neural crest cells migrate along specific routes to
their final destinations, where they differentiate into several cell types. On
p. 2587, De Calisto
et al. now report that non-canonical Wnt signalling through the planar cell
polarity or the Wnt-Ca2+ pathway is essential for the migration of
these cells in Xenopus embryos. Their grafting and in vitro
experiments with embryos carrying Dishevelled (Dsh)
mutations show that non-canonical Wnt signalling controls neural crest
migration; Dsh is a key component of both non-canonical Wnt signalling
pathways. Other experiments uncover an essential role for the non-canonical
Wnt ligand Wnt11 in this process. Finally, time-lapse analysis demonstrates
that non-canonical Wnt signalling controls neural crest migration in vitro by
stabilising the protrusions of migrating cells. The researchers propose that,
as in mesoderm migration during vertebrate gastrulation, non-canonical Wnt
signalling controls cytoskeletal behaviour or cell-adhesion properties during
neural crest migration.
Related articles in Development:
- Essential role of non-canonical Wnt signalling in neural crest migration
- Jaime De Calisto, Claudio Araya, Lorena Marchant, Chaudhary F. Riaz, and Roberto Mayor
Development 2005 132: 2587-2597.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]