Cloning and expression of Xenopus Prickle, an orthologue of a Drosophila planar cell polarity gene

We have cloned Xenopus orthologues of the Drosophila planar cell polarity (PCP) gene Prickle. Xenopus Prickle (XPk) is expressed in tissues at the dorsal midline during gastrulation and early neurulation. XPk is later expressed in a segmental pattern in the presomitic mesoderm and then in recently formed somites. XPk is also expressed in the tailbud, pronephric duct, retina, and the otic vesicle. The complex expression pattern of XPk suggests that PCP signaling is used in a diverse array of developmental processes in vertebrate embryos.