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  • The EMBO Journal (2004) 23, 3249 - 3258
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600329

Published online: 22 July 2004

Xenopus paraxial protocadherin has signaling functions and is involved in tissue separation

Araceli Medina1,a, Rajeeb K Swain1,2,a, Klaus-Michael Kuerner1,2 and Herbert Steinbeisser1,2

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
  2. Institute of Human Genetics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Correspondence to:

Herbert Steinbeisser, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 366, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel.: +49 6221 565050; Fax: +49 6221 565155; E-mail: herbert.steinbeisser@med.uni-heidelberg.de

aThese authors contributed equally to this work

Received 14 January 2004; Accepted 22 June 2004

Protocadherins have homophilic adhesion properties and mediate selective cell–cell adhesion and cell sorting. Knockdown of paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) function in the Xenopus embryo impairs tissue separation, a process that regulates separation of cells of ectodermal and mesodermal origin during gastrulation. We show that PAPC can modulate the activity of the Rho GTPase and c-jun N-terminal kinase, two regulators of the cytoskeletal architecture and effectors of the planar cell polarity pathway. This novel signaling function of PAPC is essential for the regulation of tissue separation. In addition, PAPC can interact with the Xenopus Frizzled 7 receptor, and both proteins contribute to the development of separation behavior by activating Rho and protein kinase Calpha.

  • Keywords:

    • Frizzled 7,
    • paraxial protocadherin,
    • planar cell polarity,
    • tissue separation,
    • Xenopus laevis