A paradigm shift in neurobiology: peripheral nerves deliver cellular material and control development

Living beings are extremely complex. Multiple structures, especially evolutionarily young ones, develop or take their final shape during late stages of embryonic development, when the body of an embryo is large and comprised of a huge number of cells. Yet, these late structures frequently need cellular sources from other locations and, sometimes, developmental stages. During recent years it became obvious that nerves provide a perfect solution for transporting and hosting multipotent cells that are later recruited to become new cellular sources in the innervated organs. Moreover, the role of nerves and nerve-dwelling cells in morphogenesis and regeneration seems to be much broader than was previously appreciated in invertebrate and vertebrate animals. In a broader view, nerves can provide material for morphological plasticity and evolutional diversity.