Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Cells from Embryonic Murine Neural Tube
Published on: June 2, 2012
Neurodevelopment. Parasympathetic ganglia derive from Schwann cell precursors
I Espinosa-Medina1, E Outin1, C A Picard1
1Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, Inserm U1024, and CNRS UMR 8197, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Neural crest cells migrate extensively and give rise to most of the peripheral nervous system, including sympathetic, parasympathetic, enteric, and dorsal root ganglia. We studied how parasympathetic ganglia form close to visceral organs and what their precursors are. We find that many cranial nerve-associated crest cells coexpress the pan-autonomic determinant Paired-like homeodomain 2b (Phox2b) together with markers of Schwann cell precursors. Some give rise to Schwann cells after down-regulation of PHOX2b. Others form parasympathetic ganglia after being guided to the site of ganglion formation by the nerves that carry preganglionic fibers, a parsimonious way of wiring the pathway. Thus, cranial Schwann cell precursors are the source of parasympathetic neurons during normal development.
More Related Videos
09:33Dissection, Culture and Analysis of Primary Cranial Neural Crest Cells from Mouse for the Study of Neural Crest Cell Delamination and Migration
Published on: October 3, 2019
09:03Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation
Published on: February 7, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Neurulation
Cranial Part of Parasympathetic Division
The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) alone accounts for approximately 75...
Peripheral Nervous System: Ganglia and Nerves
Nerves
The nerve is a bundle of axons that serves as the communication highway in the PNS. Each nerve is ensheathed in a protective layer of connective tissue called the epineurium. This outermost layer safeguards the nerve and supports the...
Determination
Sympathetic Pathways: Sympathetic Chain Ganglia
Sympathetic Division of the ANS
Originating in the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord segments, the preganglionic fibers of the sympathetic division exit the spinal cord through the white ramus communicans. They then enter the...