Evolutionary conservation of cell migration genes: from nematode neurons to vertebrate neural crest

Because migratory cells in all animals share common properties, we hypothesized that genetic networks involved in cell migration may be conserved between nematodes and vertebrates. To explore this, we performed comparative genomic analysis to identify vertebrate orthologs of genes required for hermaphrodite-specific neuron (HSN) migration in Caenoryhabditis elegans, and then examined their expression and function in the vertebrate neural crest. The results demonstrate high conservation of regulatory components involved in long-range migrations across diverse species. Although the neural crest is a vertebrate innovation, the results suggest that its migratory properties evolved by utilizing programs already present in the common vertebrate-invertebrate ancestor.