Article
Neurosciences
Gang Feng, Yuhua Sun
Summary: The study reveals that the PRC1 complex plays an important role in the development of the central nervous system and enteric nervous system in vertebrates. Loss of function of the rnf2 gene, which encodes the enzymatic component of PRC1, leads to abnormal migration and differentiation of neural precursor cells, as well as defective development of ENS and CNS in zebrafish.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anita Grund, Katharina Till, Klaudia Giehl, Annette Borchers
Summary: PTK7 protein is dynamically localized at cell-cell contact zones of migrating Xenopus NC cells and is required for contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL). The extracellular immunoglobulin domains of Ptk7 are important for its transient accumulation and mediate homophilic binding. Ectopic expression of Ptk7 in non-NC cells can prevent NC cell invasion, indicating a common role of PTK7 in contact inhibition, cell invasion, and tissue integrity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
JiSoo Park, Hao-An Hsiung, Irina Khven, Gioele La Manno, Matthias P. Lutolf
Summary: A self-organizing 3D neural tube organoid model derived from single mouse embryonic stem cells was developed, exhibiting in vivo-like tissue architecture, cell type composition, and anterior-posterior patterning. The maturation of the neural tube organoids revealed the emergence of multipotent neural crest cells and mature neurons. Single-cell transcriptome analyses provided insights into the transcriptional events during neural crest cell emergence and neural differentiation.
Article
Developmental Biology
Elias H. Barriga, Delan N. Alasaadi, Chiara Mencarelli, Roberto Mayor, Franck Pichaud
Summary: This study reveals the essential role of RanBP1 in neural crest cell collective migration, which is involved in establishing front-to-rear polarity and promoting directed chemotaxis. This finding has important implications for our understanding of cell migration and various pathological conditions.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhaohui Wei, Qiang Hong, Zijiao Ding, Jingwen Liu
Summary: The study generated mutant lines for cxcl12a and cxcr4b using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Results showed that Cxcl12a is crucial for pharyngeal cartilage formation by promoting the proliferation of craniofacial neural crest cells. Additionally, Cxcl12a and Cxcl12b were found to have a synergistic influence on pharyngeal arch and pouch formation.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
Makoto Abe, Timothy C. Cox, Anthony B. Firulli, Stanley M. Kanai, Jacob Dahlka, Kim-Chew Lim, James Douglas Engel, David E. Clouthier
Summary: Neural crest cells in the mandibular and maxillary prominences initially respond to signals from both regions, with GATA3 playing a crucial role in separating the upper and lower jaw domains during development by influencing BMP4 and FGF8 gene regulatory networks.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Taida Huang, Yonghui Hou, Xia Wang, Liang Wang, Chenju Yi, Cuifang Wang, Xiaoyun Sun, Paul K. H. Tam, Sai Ming Ngai, Mai Har Sham, Alan J. Burns, Wood Yee Chan
Summary: This study revealed the important roles of Sox10 and Cdh19 in the migration of sacral NCCs towards the hindgut during early embryonic development, providing insights into the pathogenesis of enteric nervous system developmental defects.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Shuyu Guo, Li Meng, Haojie Liu, Lichan Yuan, Na Zhao, Jieli Ni, Yang Zhang, Jingling Ben, Yi-Ping Li, Jinqing Ma
Summary: The Trio gene interacts with Myh9 to play a key role in neural crest cell migration and differentiation during craniofacial development, affecting craniofacial growth. Injecting specific genes into zebrafish with Trio deficiency partially rescues craniofacial abnormalities, providing potential model systems to study the pathogenic mechanisms of Trio mutations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emi Murayama, Catherine Vivier, Anne Schmidt, Philippe Herbomel
Summary: Mesenchymal stromal cells in hematopoietic niches are derived from the sclerotome section of somites and express Alcam and Pdgfr-alpha markers. These cells are crucial for the development of hematopoiesis, including the formation of the vascular component of the CHT niche and the emergence of HSPCs from the aorta.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Ching-Fang Chang, Kari M. Brown, Yanfen Yang, Samantha A. Brugmann
Summary: Primary cilia, microtubule-based cellular organelles, play a critical role in cellular function and their dysfunction is associated with various disorders. The C2cd3 protein is essential for ciliogenesis and mutations in this gene are linked to certain ciliopathies. Genetic background was found to influence the phenotypic variation in mice models, suggesting a complex interplay between genetic factors and disease manifestation.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Nioosha Nekooie Marnany, Redouane Fodil, Sophie Fereol, Alwyn Dady, Marine Depp, Frederic Relaix, Roberto Motterlini, Roberta Foresti, Jean-Loup Duband, Sylvie Dufour
Summary: Glucose metabolism plays a crucial role in the development of avian trunk neural crest cells (NCCs). Trunk NCCs prefer glucose oxidation, while cranial NCCs rely on aerobic glycolysis. Multiple pathways, including glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration, and the pentose phosphate pathway, are mobilized and integrated for the coordinated execution of diverse cellular programs in trunk NCCs.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Dina Rekler, Chaya Kalcheim
Summary: This study reveals that retinoic acid synthesized in the neural tube regulates the end of neural crest development by inhibiting BMP signaling. The activity of neural crest-specific genes also inhibits retinoic acid synthesis in the roof plate. There is a mutual repressive interaction between neural crest and roof plate traits, compromising the cellular and molecular architecture of the roof plate.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tao Gao, Elizabeth C. Wright-Jin, Rajarshi Sengupta, Jessica B. Anderson, Robert O. Heuckeroth
Summary: Retinoic acid (RA) signaling plays a crucial role in enteric nervous system (ENS) development, and cell-autonomous loss of RA receptor (RAR) signaling significantly affects ENS development. Activation of a dominant-negative RA receptor in ENS precursors at different developmental stages led to severe intestinal aganglionosis and other abnormalities, highlighting the complex context-dependent regulation of ENS development by RA.
Article
Developmental Biology
Ezra Lencer, Addison Rains, Erin Binne, Rytis Prekeris, Kristin B. Artinger
Summary: The transmembrane proteins cdon and boc are involved in regulating hedgehog signaling and have additional roles in axon guidance and neural crest cell migration. The study investigates the function of cdon and boc in zebrafish neural crest cell migration using mutants and finds disruption of migration in double cdon;boc mutants. The study also reveals defects in slow-twitch muscle cell differentiation and extracellular matrix loss, suggesting that neural crest defects may be secondary to mesoderm development defects.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam Shellard, Roberto Mayor
Summary: The neural crest uses durotaxis to follow stiffness gradients in adjacent placodal tissue, contributing to efficient collective cell migration. Durotaxis synergizes with chemotaxis to polarize actomyosin machinery of the cell group, promoting efficient directional cell migration in vivo.