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MBC in Press, published online ahead of print March 12, 2008
Mol. Biol. Cell 10.1091/mbc.E07-12-1286

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2008
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Submitted on December 26, 2007
Revised on February 19, 2008
Accepted on February 29, 2008

Apical Accumulation of Rho in the Neural Plate Is Important for Neural Plate Cell Shape Change and Neural Tube Formation

Nagatoki Kinoshita,* Noriaki Sasai,{dagger} Kazuyo Misaki,* and Shigenobu Yonemura*

*Electron Microscope Laboratory and {dagger}Organogenesis and Neurogenesis Group, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe 650-0047, Japan;

Monitoring Editor: Yu-Li Wang

Although Rho-GTPases are well-known regulators of cytoskeletal reorganization, their in vivo distribution and physiological functions have remained elusive. In this study, we found marked apical accumulation of Rho in developing chick embryos undergoing folding of the neural plate during neural tube formation, with similar accumulation of activated myosin II. The timing of accumulation and biochemical activation of both Rho and myosin II was coincident with the dynamics of neural tube formation. Inhibition of Rho disrupted its apical accumulation and led to defects in neural tube formation, with abnormal morphology of the neural plate. Continuous activation of Rho also altered neural tube formation. These results indicate that correct spatiotemporal regulation of Rho is essential for neural tube morphogenesis. Furthermore, we found that a key morphogenetic signaling pathway, Wnt/PCP pathway, was implicated in the apical accumulation of Rho and regulation of cell shape in the neural plate, suggesting that this signal may be the spatiotemporal regulator of Rho in neural tube formation.

Address correspondence to: Shigenobu Yonemura (yonemura{at}cdb.riken.jp)






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