“…Only recently have potential genetic mediators of smooth muscle alignment been identified in vivo. For example, mouse mutants for Wnt5a, its receptor Ror2, and the ion channels Kcnj13 and Tmem16a show misaligned smooth muscle in the mouse trachea and esophagus (Kishimoto et al, 2018;Rock et al, 2008;Yin et al, 2018), and mutations in the planar cell polarity (PCP) gene Dlgh1 cause a misalignment of muscle in the mouse ureter (Mahoney et al, 2006). It is, however, currently unclear whether these genes modulate tissue mechanics to organize muscle or whether their expression and cellular organization are downstream of mechanical cues, as demonstrated for PCP components within the mammalian skin (Aw et al, 2016).…”