Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
09:07
Dissection of Xenopus laevis Neural Crest for in vitro Explant Culture or in vivo Transplantation
Published on: March 4, 2014
A Src-Tks5 pathway is required for neural crest cell migration during embryonic development.
Danielle A Murphy1, Begoña Diaz, Paul A Bromann
1Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 30, 2011
Summary
The adaptor protein Tks5 is crucial for embryonic development, particularly neural crest cell migration. Loss of Tks5 causes developmental defects, but its function can be restored by functional Tks5, highlighting its role in cell movement.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Cell migration is vital for embryonic development and physiological processes.
- The Tks5 protein is known to be essential for cancer cell migration.
- The role of Tks5 in embryonic development remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Tks5 in embryonic development, specifically in neural crest cell migration.
- To determine if Tks5 is involved in developmental processes beyond cancer metastasis.
Main Methods:
- Tks5 expression was reduced in zebrafish embryos using morpholinos.
- Rescue experiments were performed using mammalian Tks5 variants.
- Neural crest cell migration was analyzed in vitro and in vivo.
- Knockdown of Tks5 was conducted in a murine neural crest stem cell line.
Main Results:
- Tks5 deficiency in zebrafish embryos led to defects in neural crest-derived tissues.
- Tks5 is required for the ventral migration of neural crest cells.
- Src family kinases and Tks5 are essential for forming actin-rich structures and cell protrusions.
- Tks5 function is dependent on its Src phosphorylation sites.
Conclusions:
- The Src-Tks5 pathway plays a novel and significant role in embryonic neural crest cell migration.
- This pathway regulates cell migration through the formation of pro-migratory actin-rich structures.
- Mechanisms controlling cell migration in embryogenesis and cancer metastasis may share similarities.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:51Determination
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...
01:19Cell Migration
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
01:09Cell Migration
Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
01:56Gastrulation
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon towards...