Translating cell polarity into tissue elongation

Planar cell polarity, the orientation of single-cell asymmetries within the plane of a multicellular tissue, is essential to generating the shape and dimensions of organs and organisms. Planar polarity systems align cell behavior with the body axes and orient the cellular processes that lead to tissue elongation. Using Drosophila as a model system, significant progress has been made toward understanding how planar polarity is generated by biochemical and mechanical signals. Recent studies using time-lapse imaging reveal that cells engage in a number of active behaviors whose orientation and dynamics translate planar cell polarity into tissue elongation. Here we review recent progress in understanding the cellular mechanisms that link planar polarity to large-scale changes in tissue structure. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.