Multiple Wnt signaling pathways converge to orient the mitotic spindle in early C. elegans embryos

Abstract

How cells integrate the input of multiple polarizing signals during division is poorly understood. We demonstrate that two distinct Caenorhabditis elegans Wnt pathways contribute to the polarization of the ABar blastomere by differentially regulating its duplicated centrosomes. Contact with the C blastomere orients the ABar spindle through a nontranscriptional Wnt spindle alignment pathway, while a Wnt/beta-catenin pathway controls the timing of ABar spindle rotation. The three C. elegans Dishevelled homologs contribute to these processes in different ways, suggesting that functional distinctions may exist among them. We also find that CKI (KIN-19) plays a role not only in the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, but also in the Wnt spindle orientation pathway as well. Based on these findings, we establish a model for the coordination of cell-cell interactions and distinct Wnt signaling pathways that ensures the robust timing and orientation of spindle rotation during a developmentally regulated cell division event.