Med Sci.

Since our seminal study in 2003, much has been written about core planar cell polarity (core PCP) signaling and the inner ear. In just a few years, and using the inner ear as a model system, our understanding of the molecular basis of this signaling pathway and how it can influence the development of tissues in mammals has increased considerably. Recently, a number of studies using various animal models of development have uncovered original relationships between the cilia and PCP, and the study of the hair cells of the inner ear has helped elucidating one of these links. In this review, we highlight the differences of PCP signaling between mammals and invertebrates. In the light of recent results, we sum up our current knowledge about PCP signaling in the mammalian cochlear epithelium and we discuss the impact of recent data in the field. We focus our attention on the interrelationship between asymmetric polarity complexes and the position of the cilium, which is essential for the establishment of the overall tissue polarity

Development

Among the three embryonic germ layers, the mesoderm plays a central role in the establishment of the vertebrate body plan. The mesoderm is specified by secreted signaling proteins from the FGF, Nodal, BMP and Wnt families. No new classes of extracellular mesoderm-inducing factors have been identified in more than two decades. Here, we show that the pinhead (pnhd) gene encodes a secreted protein that is essential for the activation of a subset of mesodermal markers in the Xenopus embryo. RNA sequencing revealed that many transcriptional targets of Pnhd are shared with those of the FGF pathway. Pnhd activity was accompanied by Erk phosphorylation and required FGF and Nodal but not Wnt signaling. We propose that during gastrulation Pnhd acts in the marginal zone to contribute to mesoderm heterogeneity via an FGF receptor-dependent positive feedback mechanism. © 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Lt

Semin Cell Dev Biol.

Since the first implication of the core planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway in stereocilia orientation of sensory hair cells in the mammalian cochlea, much has been written about this subject, in terms of understanding how this pathway can shape the mammalian hair cells and using the inner ear as a model system to understand mammalian PCP signaling. However, many conflicting results have arisen, leading to puzzling questions regarding the actual mechanism and roles of core PCP signaling in mammals and invertebrates. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on the establishment of PCP during inner ear development and revisit the contrast between wing epithelial cells in Drosophila melanogaster and sensory epithelia in the mammalian cochlea. Notably, we focus on similarities and differences in the asymmetric distribution of core PCP proteins in the context of cell autonomous versus non-autonomous role of PCP signaling in the two systems. Additionally, we address the relationship between the kinocil- ium position and PCP in cochlear hair cells and increasing results suggest an alternate cell autonomous pathway in regulating PCP in sensory hair cells.Caractérisation moléculaire et fonctionnelle de vangl2 et de ses partenaires chez le mammifèr

Neuron-Specific Deletion of in Mice Leads to Neuroanatomical and Locomotor Deficits.

Scribble (Scrib) is a conserved polarity protein acting as a scaffold involved in multiple cellular and developmental processes. Recent evidence from our group indicates that is also essential for brain development as early global deletion of in the dorsal telencephalon induced cortical thickness reduction and alteration of interhemispheric connectivity. In addition, conditional knockout (cKO) mice have behavioral deficits such as locomotor activity impairment and memory alterations. Given broad expression in multiple cell types in the brain, we decided to determine the neuronal contribution of for these phenotypes. In the present study, we further investigate the function of specifically in excitatory neurons on the forebrain formation and the control of locomotor behavior. To do so, we generated a novel neuronal glutamatergic specific cKO mouse line called Nex cKO. Remarkably, cortical layering and commissures were impaired in these mice and reproduced to some extent the previously described phenotype in global cKO. In addition and in contrast to our previous results using cKO, the cKO mutant mice exhibited significantly reduced locomotion. Altogether, the novel cKO model described in this study further highlights an essential role for in forebrain development and locomotor behavior

Regulation of TCF3 by Wnt-Dependent Phosphorylation during Vertebrate Axis Specification

NIHA commonly accepted model of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling involves target gene activation by a complex of beta-catenin with a T-cell factor (TCF) family member. TCF3 is a transcriptional repressor that has been implicated in Wnt signaling and plays key roles in embryonic axis specification and stem cell differentiation. Here we demonstrate that Wnt proteins stimulate TCF3 phosphorylation in gastrulating Xenopus embryos and mammalian cells. This phosphorylation event involves beta-catenin-mediated recruitment of homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) to TCF3 and culminates in the dissociation of TCF3 from a target gene promoter. Mutated TCF3 proteins resistant to Wnt-dependent phosphorylation function as constitutive inhibitors of Wnt-mediated activation of Vent2 and Cdx4 during anteroposterior axis specification. These findings reveal an alternative in vivo mechanism of Wnt signaling that involves TCF3 phosphorylation and subsequent derepression of target genes and link this molecular event to a specific developmental process

Gipc1 has a dual role in Vangl2 trafficking and hair bundle integrity in the inner ear

International audienceVangl2 is one of the central proteins controlling the establishment of planar cell polarity in multiple tissues of different species. Previous studies suggest that the localization of the Vangl2 protein to specific intracellular microdomains is crucial for its function. However, the molecular mechanisms that control Vangl2 trafficking within a cell are largely unknown. Here, we identify Gipc1 (GAIP C-terminus interacting protein 1) as a new interactor for Vangl2, and we show that a myosin VI-Gipc1 protein complex can regulate Vangl2 traffic in heterologous cells. Furthermore, we show that in the cochlea of MyoVI mutant mice, Vangl2 presence at the membrane is increased, and that a disruption of Gipc1 function in hair cells leads to maturation defects, including defects in hair bundle orientation and integrity. Finally, stimulated emission depletion microscopy and overexpression of GFP-Vangl2 show an enrichment of Vangl2 on the supporting cell side, adjacent to the proximal membrane of hair cells. Altogether, these results indicate a broad role for Gipc1 in the development of both stereociliary bundles and cell polarization, and suggest that the strong asymmetry of Vangl2 observed in early postnatal cochlear epithelium is mostly a ‘tissue’ polarity readout

Scribble Controls Social Motivation Behavior through the Regulation of the ERK/Mnk1 Pathway

Social behavior is a basic domain affected by several neurodevelopmental disorders, including ASD and a heterogeneous set of neuropsychiatric disorders. The SCRIB gene that codes for the polarity protein SCRIBBLE has been identified as a risk gene for spina bifida, the most common type of neural tube defect, found at high frequencies in autistic patients, as well as other congenital anomalies. The deletions and mutations of the 8q24.3 region encompassing SCRIB are also associated with multisyndromic and rare disorders. Nonetheless, the potential link between SCRIB and relevant social phenotypes has not been fully investigated. Hence, we show that Scribcrc/+ mice, carrying a mutated version of Scrib, displayed reduced social motivation behavior and social habituation, while other behavioral domains were unaltered. Social deficits were associated with the upregulation of ERK phosphorylation, together with increased c-Fos activity. Importantly, the social alterations were rescued by both direct and indirect pERK inhibition. These results support a link between polarity genes, social behaviors and hippocampal functionality and suggest a role for SCRIB in the etiopathology of neurodevelopmental disorders. Furthermore, our data demonstrate the crucial role of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in underlying social motivation behavior, thus supporting its relevance as a therapeutic target.Codage de l'information sociale dans l'hippocampe et la synchronie des réseaux neuronaux dans l'autismeDéveloppment d'une infrastructure française distribuée coordonnéeBordeaux Region Aquitaine Initiative for Neuroscienc

The core PCP protein Prickle2 regulates axon number and AIS maturation by binding to AnkG and modulating microtubule bundling

International audienceCore planar cell polarity (PCP) genes, which are involved in various neurodevelopmental disorders such as neural tube closure, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder, have poorly defined molecular signatures in neurons, mostly synapse-centric. Here, we show that the core PCP protein Prickle-like protein 2 (Prickle2) controls neuronal polarity and is a previously unidentified member of the axonal initial segment (AIS) proteome. We found that Prickle2 is present and colocalizes with AnkG480, the AIS master organizer, in the earliest stages of axonal specification and AIS formation. Furthermore, by binding to and regulating AnkG480, Prickle2 modulates its ability to bundle microtubules, a crucial mechanism for establishing neuronal polarity and AIS formation. Prickle2 depletion alters cytoskeleton organization, and Prickle2 levels determine both axon number and AIS maturation. Last, early Prickle2 depletion produces impaired action potential firing

Dishevelled stabilization by the ciliopathy protein Rpgrip1l is essential for planar cell polarity.

International audienceCilia are at the core of planar polarity cellular events in many systems. However, the molecular mechanisms by which they influence the polarization process are unclear. Here, we identify the function of the ciliopathy protein Rpgrip1l in planar polarity. In the mouse cochlea and in the zebrafish floor plate, Rpgrip1l was required for positioning the basal body along the planar polarity axis. Rpgrip1l was also essential for stabilizing dishevelled at the cilium base in the zebrafish floor plate and in mammalian renal cells. In rescue experiments, we showed that in the zebrafish floor plate the function of Rpgrip1l in planar polarity was mediated by dishevelled stabilization. In cultured cells, Rpgrip1l participated in a complex with inversin and nephrocystin-4, two ciliopathy proteins known to target dishevelled to the proteasome, and, in this complex, Rpgrip1l prevented dishevelled degradation. We thus uncover a ciliopathy protein complex that finely tunes dishevelled levels, thereby modulating planar cell polarity processes