Planar cell polarity proteins vang-1 and dsh-2 contribute to jnk-1 activation in c. Elegans embryogenesis

Morphogenesis requires Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling in many organisms. However, regulation of JNK activation during morphogenesis is still elusive. Combined data from Xenopus and Drosophila indicate that JNK is activated under circumstances in which PCP is also activated. VANG-1, the ortholog of Strabismus/Van Gogh and DSH-2, one ortholog of Dishevelled, are core components of PCP and mediate intercalation of intestinal cells during morphogenesis in C. elegans, whereas JNK-1 expression has not been described during embryogenesis so far. Here, we demonstrate that phosphorylated JNK-1 is detectable by immunofluorescence analysis during intestinal morphogenesis. In addition, we show that JNK-1 phosphorylation is modulated by the embryonic vang-1 and dsh-2(RNAi) phenotype. Notably, JNK-1 phosphorylation becomes detectable in C. elegans morphogenesis stages after VANG-1 and DSH-2 mediated events, suggesting a role for activated JNK subsequently to PCP signaling.