# Tmem132a, A New Regulator Of Planar Cell Polarity

> **NIH NIH R03** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2021 · $79,025

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The planar cell polarity (PCP) is implicated in multiple human structural birth defects including heart
defects, neural tube defects and hard of hearing. PCP originally refers to coordinated arrangement of cells in
an epithelial plane, but it was later discovered that the same molecules involved in PCP also regulate cell
movement in both epithelia and mesenchyme. The PI found in preliminary studies that loss of Tmem132a in
the mouse leads to defects in neural tube closure and tail morphogenesis. More importantly, Tmem132a
interacts genetically with a core PCP regulator, Vangl2, in neural tube formation. In this proposal, the PI will
test the hypothesis that Tmem132a regulates convergent extension movement in neural tube formation in
collaboration with Vangl2. He will reveal the underlying cellular mechanisms by investigating asymmetrical
localization of known PCP regulators and cytoskeleton components, as well as cellular morphology in
Tmem132a mutant neural and non-neural ectoderm cells. The PI will also perform biochemical and cell
biological analyses to study the potential mechanisms by which Tmem132a regulates PCP pathway. He will
determine whether Tmem132a affects the output of the core PCP signaling by examining the activation of JNK
and Rho in Tmem132a mutant cells. He will then investigate the physical interaction between Tmem132a and
core PCP regulators Celsr and Fzd. He will test the hypothesis that Tmem132a promotes the recruitment of
core PCP regulators and F-actin to the adherens junction in cultured cells. Although the importance of PCP in
embryonic morphogenesis has been well established, the molecular network responsible for establishing and
maintaining PCP has been poorly understood. The proposed research will provide a new link between cell/cell
interaction and cellular polarity determination and greatly advance the understanding of the mechanisms of
PCP regulation and related structural birth defects.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10140401
- **Project number:** 5R03HD101765-02
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** AIMIN LIU
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $79,025
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10140401

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10140401, Tmem132a, A New Regulator Of Planar Cell Polarity (5R03HD101765-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10140401. Licensed CC0.

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