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Signalling between the hindbrain and paraxial tissues dictates neural crest migration pathways
Paul A Trainor1, Dorothy Sobieszczuk, David Wilkinson
1Division of Developmental Neurobiology, National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|January 25, 2002
Summary
Cranial neural crest cell migration in vertebrate head development is patterned by hindbrain segments, forming distinct streams and crest-free zones. This process is conserved across species, involving interactions between the hindbrain and branchial arches.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Cranial neural crest cells are crucial for vertebrate head development, forming bone, connective tissue, and the peripheral nervous system.
- The segmented hindbrain influences cranial neural crest cell migration pathways and stream formation within branchial arches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map cranial neural crest cell migration patterns from the mouse hindbrain into the branchial arches.
- To investigate the role of hindbrain segments in generating and restricting neural crest cell populations.
Main Methods:
- Focal injections of DiI into developing mouse hindbrain combined with in vitro whole embryo culture.
- Grafting and lineage-tracing techniques in cultured mouse embryos.
- Interspecies grafting experiments between mouse and chick embryos.
Main Results:
- Mouse hindbrain neural crest cells migrate in three segregated streams adjacent to even-numbered rhombomeres, with contributions from three rhombomeres per stream.
- Neural crest-free zones are observed adjacent to rhombomeres 3 and 5.
- Both odd and even hindbrain segments possess an intrinsic ability to produce equivalent numbers of neural crest cells.
Conclusions:
- Hindbrain segmentation patterns cranial neural crest cell migration into distinct streams and crest-free zones.
- Combinatorial interactions between the hindbrain and branchial arch environment are critical for regulating neural crest cell generation and migration.
- Conserved mechanisms involving hindbrain-arch interactions establish neural crest-free zones and separate migrating crest populations during vertebrate head development.