Induction and differentiation of the neural crest

The neural crest is a population of cells that forms at the junction between the epidermis and neural plate in vertebrate embryos. Recent progress has elucidated the identity and timing of molecular events responsible for the earliest steps in neural crest development, particularly those involving the induction and its migration. Concomitantly, advances have been made in the identification, purification and generation of neural crest stem cells at various developmental stages that deepens our understanding of the plasticity and restriction of neural crest differentiation.