Versican V0 and V1 guide migratory neural crest cells

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Cell Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Versican V0 and V1 proteoglycans are selectively expressed in embryonic barrier tissues.
• These proteoglycans are known to impede neural crest cell migration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the active role of versican V0 and V1 isoforms in guiding neural crest cell migration.
• To establish protocols for isolating sufficient quantities of versican V0 and V1 for functional experiments.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of intact versican V0 and V1.
• Stripe choice assays using multipotent Sox10/p75NTR double-positive neural crest stem cells.
• Analysis of glycosaminoglycan chain removal effects.

Main Results:

• Pure preparations of versican V0/V1 mixture or V1 alone strongly inhibit neural crest stem cell migration on fibronectin.
• Inhibition of migration is primarily mediated by the core glycoprotein, with minor effects from glycosaminoglycan chains.
• Versican variants interfere with cell-substrate adhesion.

Conclusions:

• Versican variants V0 and V1 actively participate in guiding neural crest cell migration.
• These proteoglycans may function in concert with other inhibitory molecules like aggrecan and ephrins.
• Versican V0 and V1 are crucial for directing neural crest cell streams to target tissues during embryonic development.