Linking neural crest development to neuroblastoma pathology.
Sandra Guadalupe Gonzalez Malagon1,2, Karen J Liu3
1Biomedical Research Institute, Foundation for Research and Technology, University of Ioannina Campus, 45115 Ioannina, Greece.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|July 29, 2022
Summary
Childhood cancers like neuroblastoma (NB) are rare but deadly developmental diseases. Research explores neural crest development and genetic factors to understand NB initiation and progression.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Paediatric oncology
- Cancer stem cell research
Background:
- Childhood cancers, including neuroblastoma (NB), are significant causes of mortality in young children.
- NB is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, representing approximately 15% of pediatric cancer deaths.
- Paediatric cancers are often developmental diseases with limited known genetic predispositions, unlike many adult cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss recent insights into sympathoadrenal lineage specification.
- To explore genetic factors associated with neuroblastoma (NB).
- To consider the molecular underpinnings of NB within the context of neural crest lineage development.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent insights into sympathoadrenal lineage specification.
- Analysis of genetic factors implicated in NB.
- Comparison of distinct NB subtypes and gene-function interactions during neural crest development.
Main Results:
- Recent insights into sympathoadrenal lineage specification are discussed.
- Genetic factors associated with NB are highlighted.
- Molecular underpinnings of NB are considered in relation to neural crest developmental trajectories.
Conclusions:
- Understanding neural crest development and genetic factors is crucial for elucidating neuroblastoma (NB) initiation and progression.
- This study provides a framework for comparing NB subtypes based on developmental trajectories.
- Further research into gene-function interactions during sensitive developmental phases can offer new therapeutic strategies for pediatric cancers.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Determination
19.1K
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...
19.1K
01:30Neurulation
42.3K
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...
42.3K