Transcription factor c-Myb is involved in the regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the avian neural crest.
Multipotential neural crest cells (NCCs) originate by an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during vertebrate embryogenesis. We show for the first time that the key hematopoietic factor c-Myb is synthesized in early chick embryos including the neural tissue and participates in the regulation of the trunk NCCs. A reduction of endogenous c-Myb protein both in tissue explants in vitro and in embryos in ovo, prevented the formation of migratory NCCs. A moderate over-expression of c-myb in naive intermediate neural plates triggered the EMT and NCC migration probably through cooperation with BMP4 signaling because (i) BMP4 activated c-myb expression, (ii) elevated c-Myb caused accumulation of transcripts of the BMP4 target genes msx1 and slug, and (iii) the reduction of c-Myb prevented the BMP4-induced formation of NCCs. The data show that in chicken embryos, the c-myb gene is expressed prior to the onset of hematopoiesis and participates in the formation and migration of the trunk neural crest.
Karafiat
V
V
Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 166 37 Prague, Czech Republic.
Dvorakova
M
M
Krejci
E
E
Kralova
J
J
Pajer
P
P
Snajdr
P
P
Mandikova
S
S
Bartunek
P
P
Grim
M
M
Dvorak
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D018274:Electroporation; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D051957:MSX1 Transcription Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000502:physiology*; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D020598:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D051957:MSX1 Transcription Factor; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D020598:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors