Genetic regulation of Wnt/PCP components through Fgf10/Fgfr2/Sox9 module in tear duct development

Genetic regulation of Wnt/PCP components through Fgf10/Fgfr2/Sox9 module in tear duct development | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Genetic regulation of Wnt/PCP components through Fgf10/Fgfr2/Sox9 module in tear duct development Chunqiao Liu, Dianlei Guo, Xiaoyu Zhang, Xinyi Zhao, Jiali Ru, and 10 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7980825/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) and Wnt signaling pathways are essential for diverse aspects of tissue morphogenesis, and their disruption often results in overlapping developmental defects. However, the mechanistic links between these pathways remain poorly defined, and it is unclear whether direct genetic interactions exist during development. In this study, we demonstrate that the Fgf signaling components Fgf10 and Fgfr2 are indispensable for tear duct formation by promoting the proliferation and survival of tear duct progenitors. In addition, Fgf10/Fgfr2 signaling contributes to tear duct elongation. Through single-cell RNA sequencing and CUT&Tag analysis, we provide comprehensive genetic evidence that the Fgf10/Fgfr2/Sox9 module directly regulates a subset of Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) genes. In particular, we show that Sox9 binds to and activates the promoter of Prickle1, a core Wnt/PCP component previously implicated in tear duct development. Finally, we establish that the regulation of Wnt/PCP components by Fgf signaling is unidirectional. Together, these findings uncover a previously unrecognized direct genetic link between Fgf signaling and Wnt/PCP pathway components during tear duct morphogenesis. Biological sciences/Genetics/Development Biological sciences/Developmental biology/Morphogenesis Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementarytables.docx Supplementary table SupplementaryFigureXFigurelegends.pdf Supplementary Figures and Figure legends Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7980825","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":540016765,"identity":"2bc146a5-329e-496b-8a4d-9e07a5ed60cb","order_by":0,"name":"Chunqiao 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