title: Facial Morphogenesis: Physical and Molecular Interactions Between the Brain and the Face.
abstract: Morphogenesis of the brain and face is intrinsically linked by a number of factors. These include: origins of tissues, adjacency allowing their physical interactions, and molecular cross talk controlling growth. Neural crest cells that form the facial primordia originate on the dorsal neural tube. In the caudal pharyngeal arches, a Homeobox code regulates arch identity. In anterior regions, positional information is acquired locally. Second, the brain is a structural platform that influences positioning of the facial primordia, and brain growth influences the timing of primordia fusion. Third, the brain helps induce a signaling center, the frontonasal ectodermal zone, in the ectoderm, which participates in patterned growth of the upper jaw. Similarly, signals from neural crest cells regulate expression of fibroblast growth factor 8 in the anterior neural ridge, which controls growth of the anterior forebrain. Disruptions to these interactions have significant consequences for normal development of the craniofacial complex, leading to structural malformations and birth defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, Orthopaedic Trauma Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. Electronic address: ralph.marcucio@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcucio
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital, Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallgrimsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, Orthopaedic Trauma Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005145:Face / Q000196:embryology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
keywords: Brain–face interactions; Cleft lip and palate; Facial morphogenesis; Holoprosencephaly; Physical forces; Signaling