Abstract
The Wnt signaling pathway is crucial for tissue morphogenesis, participating in cellular behavior changes, notably during the process of convergent-extension. Interactions between Wnt-secreting and receiving cells during convergent-extension remain elusive. We investigated the role and genetic interactions of Wnt ligands and their trafficking factors Wls, Gpc4 and Frzb in the context of palate morphogenesis in zebrafish. We describe that the chaperon Wls and its ligands Wnt9a and Wnt5b are expressed in the ectoderm, whereas juxtaposed chondrocytes express Frzb and Gpc4. Using wls, gpc4, frzb, wnt9a and wnt5b mutants, we genetically dissected the Wnt signals operating between secreting ectoderm and receiving chondrocytes. Our analysis delineates that non-canonical Wnt signaling is required for cell intercalation, and that wnt5b and wnt9a are required for palate extension in the anteroposterior and transverse axes, respectively.
Footnotes
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Author contributions
E.C.L. and L.R. conceived of the project and planned the experiments. L.R., S.D.M., I.T.C.L. and Y.K. carried out the experiments and generated the data. S.R. contributed the initial wls ENU allele and reviewed the manuscript. L.R., S.D.M. and I.T.C.L. analyzed the data and prepared the figures. L.R., S.D.M., I.T.C.L., R.H., M.H. and E.C.L. prepared the manuscript. All authors reviewed and revised the manuscript.
Funding
This work was funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research [RO3DE024490] and Shriners Hospital for Children (E.C.L); L.R. is supported by a research fellowship from Shriners Hospital; and S.D.M. was supported by the Ford Foundation and the National Institutes of Health [GM42341]. Deposited in PMC for release after 12 months.
Supplementary information
Supplementary information available online at http://dev.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/dev.137000.supplemental
- Received March 2, 2016.
- Accepted May 23, 2016.
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