Dishevelled controls apical docking and planar polarization of basal bodies in ciliated epithelial cells

Using Xenopus epidermis as a model, John Wallingford and colleagues show that the planar cell polarity protein Dishevelled, acting in concert with Inturned and Rho, controls the apical positioning of basal bodies. Subsequently, Dvl and Rho are also required for directional ciliary beating, suggesting that a common signaling apparatus governs both apical docking and planar polarization of basal bodies. The planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling system governs many aspects of polarized cell behavior. Here, we use an in vivo model of vertebrate mucociliary epithelial development to show that Dishevelled (Dvl) is essential for the apical positioning of basal bodies. We find that Dvl and Inturned mediate the activation of the Rho GTPase specifically at basal bodies, and that these three proteins together mediate the docking of basal bodies to the apical plasma membrane. Moreover, we find that this docking involves a Dvl-dependent association of basal bodies with membrane-bound vesicles and the vesicle-trafficking protein, Sec8. Once docked, basal bodies again require Dvl and Rho for the planar polarization that underlies directional beating of cilia. These results demonstrate previously undescribed functions for PCP signaling components and suggest that a common signaling apparatus governs both apical docking and planar polarization of basal bodies.