[PDF][PDF] Cthrc1 selectively activates the planar cell polarity pathway of Wnt signaling by stabilizing the Wnt-receptor complex

S Yamamoto, O Nishimura, K Misaki, M Nishita… - Developmental cell, 2008 - cell.com
S Yamamoto, O Nishimura, K Misaki, M Nishita, Y Minami, S Yonemura, H Tarui, H Sasaki
Developmental cell, 2008cell.com
Vertebrate Wnt proteins activate several distinct pathways. Intrinsic differences among Wnt
ligands and Frizzled (Fzd) receptors, and the availability of pathway-specific coreceptors,
LRP5/6, and Ror2, affect pathway selection. Here, we show that a secreted glycoprotein,
Cthrc1, is involved in selective activation of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway by Wnt
proteins. Although Cthrc1 null mutant mice appeared normal, the introduction of a
heterozygous mutation of a PCP gene, Vangl2, resulted in abnormalities characteristic of …
Summary
Vertebrate Wnt proteins activate several distinct pathways. Intrinsic differences among Wnt ligands and Frizzled (Fzd) receptors, and the availability of pathway-specific coreceptors, LRP5/6, and Ror2, affect pathway selection. Here, we show that a secreted glycoprotein, Cthrc1, is involved in selective activation of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway by Wnt proteins. Although Cthrc1 null mutant mice appeared normal, the introduction of a heterozygous mutation of a PCP gene, Vangl2, resulted in abnormalities characteristic of PCP mutants. In HEK293T cells, Cthrc1 activated the PCP pathway but suppressed the canonical pathway. Cell-surface-anchored Cthrc1 bound to Wnt proteins, Fzd proteins, and Ror2 and enhanced the interaction of Wnt proteins and Fzd/Ror2 by forming the Cthrc1-Wnt-Fzd/Ror2 complex. Consistent with this, Ror2 mutant mice also showed PCP-related abnormalities in the inner ear. These results suggest that Cthrc1 is a Wnt cofactor protein that selectively activates the Wnt/PCP pathway by stabilizing ligand-receptor interaction.
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