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Anterior cephalic neural crest is required for forebrain viability
H C Etchevers1, G Couly, C Vincent
1Institut d'Embryologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire du CNRS et du Collège de France, 94736 Nogent-sur-Marne Cedex, France. etchever@infobiogen.fr
Development (Cambridge, England)
|July 20, 1999
Summary
Neural crest cells (NCC) are crucial for embryonic forebrain development, providing essential trophic support before vascularization. Their absence causes neuroepithelial cell death and cyclopia in chick embryos.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- The embryonic forebrain (prosencephalon) develops within a mesenchymal matrix.
- Neural crest cells (NCC) contribute to this matrix and vascular development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of NCC in early forebrain development and survival.
- To determine the trophic support provided by NCC to the neuroepithelium.
Main Methods:
- Surgical removal of NCC from anterior head of chick embryos.
- Observation of neuroepithelial cell death and developmental abnormalities (cyclopia).
- Rescue assays using rhombencephalic NCC and paraxial cephalic mesoderm.
Main Results:
- NCC ablation caused massive neuroepithelial apoptosis preceding vascularization.
- A mesenchymal layer formed by NCC and mesoderm is essential for neuroepithelial survival.
- Rhombencephalic NCC and cephalic mesoderm could rescue the phenotype, suggesting a conserved trophic role.
Conclusions:
- The mesenchymal layer, supported by NCC, provides critical early trophic effects on the developing forebrain.
- Cephalic mesoderm can substitute for NCC in providing trophic support and pericytes.
- These NCC functions may have driven the evolutionary expansion of the vertebrate forebrain.