- Susman, Michael W;
- Karuna, Edith P;
- Kunz, Ryan C;
- Gujral, Taranjit S;
- Cantú, Andrea V;
- Choi, Shannon S;
- Jong, Brigette Y;
- Okada, Kyoko;
- Scales, Michael K;
- Hum, Jennie;
- Hu, Linda S;
- Kirschner, Marc W;
- Nishinakamura, Ryuichi;
- Yamada, Soichiro;
- Laird, Diana J;
- Jao, Li-En;
- Gygi, Steven P;
- Greenberg, Michael E;
- Ho, Hsin-Yi Henry
Wnt5a-Ror signaling constitutes a developmental pathway crucial for embryonic tissue morphogenesis, reproduction and adult tissue regeneration, yet the molecular mechanisms by which the Wnt5a-Ror pathway mediates these processes are largely unknown. Using a proteomic screen, we identify the kinesin superfamily protein Kif26b as a downstream target of the Wnt5a-Ror pathway. Wnt5a-Ror, through a process independent of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin-dependent pathway, regulates the cellular stability of Kif26b by inducing its degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Through this mechanism, Kif26b modulates the migratory behavior of cultured mesenchymal cells in a Wnt5a-dependent manner. Genetic perturbation of Kif26b function in vivo caused embryonic axis malformations and depletion of primordial germ cells in the developing gonad, two phenotypes characteristic of disrupted Wnt5a-Ror signaling. These findings indicate that Kif26b links Wnt5a-Ror signaling to the control of morphogenetic cell and tissue behaviors in vertebrates and reveal a new role for regulated proteolysis in noncanonical Wnt5a-Ror signal transduction.