Actomyosin polarisation through PLC-PKC triggers symmetry breaking of the mouse embryo
Journal Title
Nature Communications
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Springer Nature
Volume
8
Number
921
Language
English
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Zhu, M., Leung, C., Shahbazi, M., & Zernicka-Goetz, M. (2017). Actomyosin polarisation through PLC-PKC triggers symmetry breaking of the mouse embryo. Nature Communications, 8 (921)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00977-8
Abstract
Establishment of cell polarity in the mammalian embryo is fundamental for the first cell fate decision that sets aside progenitor cells for both the new organism and the placenta. Yet the sequence of events and molecular mechanism that trigger this process remain unknown. Here, we show that de novo polarisation of the mouse embryo occurs in two distinct phases at the 8-cell stage. In the first phase, an apical actomyosin network is formed. This is a pre-requisite for the second phase, in which the Par complex localises to the apical domain, excluding actomyosin and forming a mature apical cap. Using a variety of approaches, we also show that phospholipase C-mediated PIP2 hydrolysis is necessary and sufficient to trigger the polarisation of actomyosin through the Rho-mediated recruitment of myosin II to the apical cortex. Together, these results reveal the molecular framework that triggers de novo polarisation of the mouse embryo.
Sponsorship
This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust. M.Z.G. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow, M.Z. is supported by the Cambridge Trust, and M.N.S. is an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow.
Funder references
Wellcome Trust (098287/Z/12/Z)
Embargo Lift Date
2100-01-01
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00977-8
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/265735
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY)
Licence URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/