Coupling of apical-basal polarity and PCP to interpret the Wnt signaling gradient and orient feather branch

Sensing a global directional cue to orient cell growth is crucial in tissue morphogenesis. An anterior-posterior gradient of Wnt signaling controls the helical growth of feather branches (barbs), and thus the formation of bilateral feathers. However, it remains unclear how the keratinocytes sense this gradient and orient barb growth. Here, we show that in chicken, owing to feather branching, the global Wnt gradient is subdivided into periodic...