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Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Dissection of Xenopus laevis Neural Crest for in vitro Explant Culture or in vivo Transplantation
Published on: March 4, 2014
[Developmental ballet: The pivotal role of PAX3 in neural crest cells establishment]
Sarah Chebouti1, Sylvie Dufour1, Joana Esteves de Lima1
1Université Paris Est Créteil, Inserm, EnvA, EFS, AP-HP, IMRB, Créteil, France.
Abstract:
Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a transient, multipotent cells that form at the border between the neural and non-neural ectoderm. Their formation is a finely choreographed process that can be compared to a developmental ballet. This process unfolds in four main stages: induction, specification, migration, and differentiation. Like versatile and talented performers, NCCs display a plasticity similar to that of stem cells, being capable of giving rise to multiple lineages. At the heart of NCC formation lies their gene regulatory network with signalling pathways and transcription factors kicking in at different stages of NCC development. Among these factors, transcription factor PAX3 plays a pivotal role in the establishment of NCCs, by intervening at various stages, from specification to differentiation.
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