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Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Dissection, Culture and Analysis of Primary Cranial Neural Crest Cells from Mouse for the Study of Neural Crest Cell Delamination and Migration
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Atypical RhoV and RhoU GTPases control development of the neural crest

Sandrine Faure1,2, Philippe Fort1,3

  • 1a Universités Montpellier 2 et 1; CRBM; UMS BioCampus ; Montpellier , France.

Small Gtpases
|November 12, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Two Rho GTPases, RhoV and RhoU, are crucial for vertebrate embryonic development. RhoV promotes neural crest cell differentiation, while RhoU aids their migration, both linked to Wnt signaling pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The neural crest, a vertebrate-specific embryonic tissue, serves as a model for epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT).
  • Rho GTPases are key regulators of cellular processes, including cytoskeleton dynamics and cell migration.
  • RhoV/Chp and RhoU/Wrch are distinct Rho GTPase subfamily members highly expressed in the neural crest.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the developmental roles of RhoV and RhoU GTPases.
  • To elucidate their functional link with Wnt signaling in neural crest development.
  • To discuss their mechanisms of action in embryonic development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on RhoV, RhoU, Wnt signaling, and neural crest development.
  • Analysis of expression patterns and functional studies in vertebrate models.
  • Integration of findings on GTPase activity and signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • RhoV is induced by the canonical Wnt pathway and is essential for neural crest cell differentiation.
  • RhoU is induced by the non-canonical Wnt pathway and is critical for neural crest cell migration.
  • Both GTPases are highly conserved and functionally integrated with Wnt signaling.

Conclusions:

  • RhoV and RhoU play distinct but coordinated roles in neural crest development.
  • Their function is tightly regulated by Wnt signaling pathways during embryogenesis.
  • Understanding these GTPases offers insights into developmental processes and cancer biology.
Keywords:
RhoURhoVWnt signalingatypical Rho GTPasesdevelopmentneural crestxenopus

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