Regulation of Planar Cell Polarity by Smurf Ubiquitin Ligases

Regulation of Planar Cell Polarity by Smurf Ubiquitin Ligases

Planar cell polarity (PCP) is critical for morphogenesis in metazoans. PCP in vertebrates regulates stereocilia alignment in neurosensory cells of the cochlea and closure of the neural tube through convergence and extension movements (CE). Noncanonical Wnt morphogens regulate PCP and CE in vertebrates, but the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Smurfs are ubiquitin ligases that regulate signa...

Ubiquitin Connects with Planar Cell Polarity

Planar cell polarity (PCP) regulates the orientation of cells in epithelia and of mesenchymal cells during gastrulation. In this issue, Narimatsu et al. (2009) report that the Smurf E3 ubiquitin ligases are required for localized protein degradation of a core PCP factor to generate cellular asymmetry.

Regulation of Neuronal Migration by Dchs1-Fat4 Planar Cell Polarity

Planar cell polarity (PCP) describes the polarization of cell structures and behaviors within the plane of a tissue. PCP is essential for the generation of tissue architecture during embryogenesis and for postnatal growth and tissue repair, yet how it is oriented to coordinate cell polarity remains poorly understood [1]. In Drosophila, PCP is mediated via the Frizzled-Flamingo (Fz-PCP) and Dach...

Cell Cycle and Cell Growth Regulation by the CUL4-DDB1-ROC1 Ubiquitin Ligases

Seven in Absentia E3 Ubiquitin Ligases: Central Regulators of Neural Cell Fate and Neuronal Polarity

During neural development, neural precursors transition from a proliferative state within their germinal niches to a migratory state as they relocate to their final laminar positions. Transitions across these states are coupled with dynamic alterations in cellular polarity. This key feature can be seen throughout the developing vertebrate brain, in which neural stem cells give rise to multipola...