title: Directional cell movements downstream of Gbx2 and Otx2 control the assembly of sensory placodes.
abstract: Cranial placodes contribute to sensory structures including the inner ear, the lens and olfactory epithelium and the neurons of the cranial sensory ganglia. At neurula stages, placode precursors are interspersed in the ectoderm surrounding the anterior neural plate before segregating into distinct placodes by as yet unknown mechanisms. Here, we perform live imaging to follow placode progenitors as they aggregate to form the lens and otic placodes. We find that while placode progenitors move with the same speed as their non-placodal neighbours, they exhibit increased persistence and directionality and these properties are required to assemble morphological placodes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these factors are components of the transcriptional networks that coordinate placode cell behaviour including their directional movements. Together with previous work, our results support a dual role for Otx and Gbx transcription factors in both the early patterning of the neural plate border and the later segregation of its derivatives into distinct placodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Development, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Tower Wing Floor 27, London SE1 9RT, UK bjs57@cam.ac.uk.|Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7838-839X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steventon
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Development, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Tower Wing Floor 27, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Streit
keywords: Cell migration; Lens; Live imaging; Morphogenesis; Otic; Peripheral nervous system