Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026
12:48
Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Cells from Embryonic Murine Neural Tube
Published on: June 2, 2012
18.1K
Neural crest cells in cardiovascular development
Alice Plein1, Alessandro Fantin1, Christiana Ruhrberg1
1UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|February 10, 2015
Summary
Cardiac neural crest cells (NCCs) are vital for heart development, forming major blood vessels and valves. Disruptions in NCC function lead to congenital heart defects.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cardiovascular science
- Cell biology
Background:
- Cardiac neural crest cells (NCCs) are crucial migratory cells in vertebrate embryos.
- NCCs are essential for forming the aortic arch and septating the cardiac outflow tract.
- Defects in NCCs are linked to congenital heart defects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of cardiac NCCs in vascular remodeling.
- To discuss signaling pathways involved in NCC-mediated development.
- To explore NCC contributions to cardiac valves, myocardium, and conductive system.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cardiac NCCs.
- Analysis of ablation, transplantation, and lineage-tracing studies in chick and mouse models.
- Discussion of genetic and molecular signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Cardiac NCCs remodel pharyngeal arteries into the aortic arch.
- NCCs are critical for outflow tract septation, forming pulmonary artery and aorta bases.
- NCCs contribute to cardiac valve formation.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac NCCs play a fundamental role in cardiovascular development.
- Understanding NCC function is key to addressing congenital heart defects.
- Further research is needed on NCC roles in myocardium and conductive system development.
Related Concept Videos
01:07Development of Blood Vessels
2.0K
The development of the vascular system in a fetus is a complex and intricate process that begins as early as 15 to 16 days post-conception. This process starts outside the embryo, specifically in the mesoderm of the yolk sac, chorion, and connecting stalk. Approximately two days later, the formation of blood vessels occurs within the embryo itself.
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
2.0K
01:51Determination
21.5K
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...
21.5K
01:30Neurulation
47.7K
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
47.7K
01:27Development of the Heart
4.0K
The development of the human heart, a crucial organ, commences from the mesoderm on the 18th or 19th day after fertilization. This process initiates in the cardiogenic area, a group of mesodermal cells at the embryo's head end, which evolves into elongated strands known as cardiogenic cords. These cords undergo a transformation to form hollow-centered endocardial tubes.
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
4.0K
01:21Hematopoiesis
10.2K
The process of blood cell formation is called hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis starts early during development, on the seventh day of embryogenesis. This phase of hematopoiesis is called the primitive wave, wherein the extraembryonic yolk sac allows the production of erythroid cells and endothelial cells from a common precursor called hemangioblast. The erythroid cells provide oxygen to support the growth of the rapidly dividing embryo. Hemangioblasts later develop into hematopoietic stem cells or...
10.2K
01:56Gastrulation
69.8K
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...
69.8K