title: Leader Cells Define Directionality of Trunk, but Not Cranial, Neural Crest Cell Migration.
abstract: Collective cell migration is fundamental for life and a hallmark of cancer. Neural crest (NC) cells migrate collectively, but the mechanisms governing this process remain controversial. Previous analyses in Xenopus indicate that cranial NC (CNC) cells are a homogeneous population relying on cell-cell interactions for directional migration, while chick embryo analyses suggest a heterogeneous population with leader cells instructing directionality. Our data in chick and zebrafish embryos show that CNC cells do not require leader cells for migration and all cells present similar migratory capacities. In contrast, laser ablation of trunk NC (TNC) cells shows that leader cells direct movement and cell-cell contacts are required for migration. Moreover, leader and follower identities are acquired before the initiation of migration and remain fixed thereafter. Thus, two distinct mechanisms establish the directionality of CNC cells and TNC cells. This implies the existence of multiple molecular mechanisms for collective cell migration.
authors.affiliation: Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College, London SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College, London SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gauert
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Scientific Image Analysis (SCIAN-Lab), Biomedical Neuroscience Institute (BNI), Centre for Medical Informatics and Telemedicine (CIMT), ICBM, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 1058, Chile.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Briones Montecinos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC, Parc Cientific de Barcelona, C/Baldiri i Reixac 15-21, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fanlo
authors.affiliation: Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College, London SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: Zainalabdeen Mohmammed
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Alhashem
authors.affiliation: ICBM Human Genetics Program, Centre for Medical Informatics and Telemedicine (CIMT), Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 1058, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Assar
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC, Parc Cientific de Barcelona, C/Baldiri i Reixac 15-21, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marti
authors.affiliation: Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kabla
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Scientific Image Analysis (SCIAN-Lab), Biomedical Neuroscience Institute (BNI), Centre for Medical Informatics and Telemedicine (CIMT), ICBM, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 1058, Chile.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Härtel
authors.affiliation: Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College, London SE1 1UL, UK. Electronic address: claudia.linker@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D048430:Cell Shape; D002645:Chickens; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology*; D012886:Skull / Q000166:cytology*; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis; D015027:Zebrafish