PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Erica J. Hutchins
AU  - Marianne E. Bronner
TI  - Draxin alters laminin expression during basement membrane reorganization to control cranial neural crest EMT
AID  - 10.1101/407882
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 407882
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/09/03/407882.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/09/03/407882.full
AB  - Premigratory neural crest cells arise within the dorsal neural tube and subsequently undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to leave the neuroepithelium and initiate migration. Draxin is a Wnt modulator that has been shown to control the timing of cranial neural crest EMT. Here we show that this process is accompanied by three stages of remodeling of the basement membrane protein laminin, from regression to expansion and channel formation. Loss of Draxin results in blocking laminin remodeling at the regression stage, whereas ectopic maintenance of Draxin blocks remodeling at the expansion stage. The latter effect is rescued by addition of Snail2, previously shown to be downstream of Draxin. Our results demonstrate an essential function for the Wnt modulator Draxin in regulating basement membrane remodeling during cranial neural crest EMT.HIGHLIGHTSCranial neural crest migrate through a laminin-rich basement membrane channelPerturbation of Draxin, a Wnt antagonist, alters laminin channel formationDraxin’s effect on laminin channel formation is largely mediated by Snail2