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Synthetic reconstitution of planar polarity initiation reveals collective migration as a symmetry-breaking cue

Wallach, L. A.; Thomas, C. D.; Li, P.

2026-02-25 developmental biology
10.64898/2026.02.23.707595 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Planar cell polarity (PCP) organizes cellular behaviors along tissue axes, yet how symmetry is broken to initiate polarity across initially symmetric tissues remains unknown. We reconstituted tissue-scale polarity emergence ex vivo using an engineered epithelial system. A collective migration cue induces front-back enrichment of CELSR junctions, establishing aligned multicellular polarity that tracks migration direction and speed. A migration-onset wave consistently precedes the polarity-initiation wave, indicating that individual cells directly interpret the global cue rather than acquire polarity through intercellular relay. Strikingly, CELSR polarity arises without reciprocal VANGL-FZD interactions, identifying CELSR as the driver for planar polarization. These findings reveal how a global migratory cue can break symmetry and coordinate PCP across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales, providing a framework for engineering polarized tissues.

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