# Planar cell polarity emerges through polarized accumulation of Wnt11

## TL;DR

This study shows that Wnt11 helps establish cell polarity without relying on concentration gradients, through mutual interactions with core polarity components.

## Contribution

The paper reveals a gradient-independent mechanism of Wnt11 in regulating planar cell polarity through mutual amplification with core components.

## Key findings

- Wnt11 is polarized at cell boundaries in the neural plate of Xenopus embryos.
- Wnt11 and core PCP components form a mutual amplification loop.
- Local interactions between Wnt11 and core components coordinate polarity direction.

## Abstract

Planar cell polarity (PCP) is established by asymmetric localization of core PCP components in each cell. Because some Wnt proteins can induce PCP in vertebrates, it has been proposed that Wnt concentration gradients provide spatial cues for polarization. However, here, we present evidence that Wnt11 can regulate PCP in a gradient-independent manner. In the neural plate of Xenopus embryos, endogenous Wnt11 does not form an obvious gradient in the direction of PCP, but is polarized at cell boundaries together with core PCP components. Wnt11 polarization is dependent on core PCP components, while polarization of core PCP components can also be induced by Wnt11, indicating a mutual amplification loop between Wnt11 and core PCP components in PCP formation. Furthermore, Wnt11 and core PCP components compose an intercellular loop to coordinate the direction of polarity. Thus, we propose that local and reciprocal interactions between Wnt11 and core PCP components can generate PCP.

Polarized but not graded Wnt11 underlies emergence of planar cell polarity.