Induction of the neural crest and the opportunities of life on the edge.
The neural crest is a multipotent population of migratory cells unique to the vertebrate embryo. Neural crest arises at the lateral edge of the neural plate and migrates throughout the embryo to give rise to a wide variety of cell types including peripheral and enteric neurons and glia, craniofacial cartilage and bone, smooth muscle, and pigment cells. Here we review recent studies that have addressed the role of several signaling pathways in the induction of the neural crest. Work in the mouse, chick, Xenopus, and zebrafish have shown that a complex network of genes is activated at the neural plate border in response to neural crest-inducing signals. We also summarize some of these findings and discuss how the differential activation of these genes may contribute to the establishment of neural crest diversity.
Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Xiao
X
Huang
Jean-Pierre
JP
Saint-Jeannet
D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000502:physiology*; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D051153:Wnt Proteins
D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D051153:Wnt Proteins; C064045:delta protein; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors