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Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras
09:38

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras

Published on: May 31, 2014

The embryonic origins of avian cephalic and cervical muscles and associated connective tissues

D M Noden

    The American Journal of Anatomy
    |November 1, 1983
    PubMed

    Insights

    This study reveals that branchial arch muscles in chick embryos originate from paraxial mesoderm, not unique sources. Understanding these embryonic origins is key to comprehending craniofacial development.

    Area of Science:

    • Developmental Biology
    • Embryology
    • Comparative Anatomy

    Background:

    • The embryonic origins of craniofacial and cervical voluntary muscles and associated connective tissues are not fully understood.
    • Previous theories on vertebrate evolution and development have proposed unique origins for branchiomeric muscles.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To determine the embryonic origins of craniofacial and cervical voluntary muscles and associated connective tissues in chick embryos.
    • To investigate the contribution of paraxial mesoderm, somites, and neural crest to these structures.

    Main Methods:

    • Quail-to-chick embryonic transplantation experiments were performed.
    • Suspected primordia, including somitomeres 3-7, somites 1-7, and cephalic neural crest, were transplanted.
    • Quail cells were identified using a species-specific nuclear marker.

    Main Results:

    • Muscles associated with branchial arch skeletal structures are derived from paraxial mesoderm.
    • All other voluntary muscles in the vertebrate embryo also originate from paraxial mesoderm.
    • Many cephalic muscles are composites of myogenic stem cells (mesodermal) and connective tissues (neural crest or lateral plate mesoderm).

    Conclusions:

    • The findings necessitate a critical reappraisal of theories on vertebrate ontogeny and phylogeny that rely on unique features of branchiomeric muscles.
    • Defining the embryonic origins of these cephalic muscles and connective tissues is essential for understanding the formation of species-unique musculoskeletal systems.

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