Contraction of basal filopodia controls periodic feather branching via Notch and FGF signaling

Dongyang Cheng, Xiaoli Yan, Guofu Qiu, Juan Zhang, Hanwei Wang, Tingting Feng, Yarong Tian, Haiping Xu, Meiqing Wang, Wanzhong He, Ping Wu, Randall B Widelitz, Cheng-Ming Chuong and Zhicao Yue ()
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Dongyang Cheng: Fuzhou University
Xiaoli Yan: Fuzhou University
Guofu Qiu: Fuzhou University
Juan Zhang: Fuzhou University
Hanwei Wang: Fuzhou University
Tingting Feng: Fuzhou University
Yarong Tian: Fuzhou University
Haiping Xu: Fuzhou University
Meiqing Wang: Fuzhou University
Wanzhong He: National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS)
Ping Wu: University of Southern California
Randall B Widelitz: University of Southern California
Cheng-Ming Chuong: University of Southern California
Zhicao Yue: Fuzhou University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Branching morphogenesis is a general mechanism that increases the surface area of an organ. In chicken feathers, the flat epithelial sheath at the base of the follicle is transformed into periodic branches. How exactly the keratinocytes are organized into this pattern remains unclear. Here we show that in the feather follicle, the pre-branch basal keratinocytes have extensive filopodia, which contract and smooth out after branching. Manipulating the filopodia via small GTPases RhoA/Cdc42 also regulates branch formation. These basal filopodia help interpret the proximal-distal FGF gradient in the follicle. Furthermore, the topological arrangement of cell adhesion via E-Cadherin re-distribution controls the branching process. Periodic activation of Notch signaling drives the differential cell adhesion and contraction of basal filopodia, which occurs only below an FGF signaling threshold. Our results suggest a coordinated adjustment of cell shape and adhesion orchestrates feather branching, which is regulated by Notch and FGF signaling.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03801-z

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