scholarly journals Xenopus neural crest cell migration in an applied electrical field.

1983 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 1226-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
R F Stump ◽  
K R Robinson

Xenopus neural crest cells migrated toward the cathode in an applied electrical field of 10 mV/mm or greater. This behavior was observed in relatively isolated cells, as well as in groups of neural crest cells; however, the velocity of directed migration usually declined when a cell made close contact with other cells. Melanocytes with a full complement of evenly distributed melanosomes did not migrate of their own accord, but could be distorted and pulled by unpigmented neural crest cells. Incompletely differentiated melanocytes and melanocytes with aggregated melanosomes displayed the same behavior as undifferentiated neural crest cells, that is, migration toward the cathode. An electrical field of 10 mV/mm corresponded to a voltage drop of less than 1 mV across the diameter of each cell; the outer epithelium of Xenopus embryos drives an endogenous transembryonic current that may produce voltage gradients of nearly this magnitude within high-resistance regions of the embryo. We, therefore, propose that electrical current produced by the skin battery present in these embryos may act as a vector to guide neural crest migration.

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Selleck ◽  
M. Bronner-Fraser

We have investigated the lineage and tissue interactions that result in avian neural crest cell formation from the ectoderm. Presumptive neural plate was grafted adjacent to non-neural ectoderm in whole embryo culture to examine the role of tissue interactions in ontogeny of the neural crest. Our results show that juxtaposition of non-neural ectoderm and presumptive neural plate induces the formation of neural crest cells. Quail/chick recombinations demonstrate that both the prospective neural plate and the prospective epidermis can contribute to the neural crest. When similar neural plate/epidermal confrontations are performed in tissue culture to look at the formation of neural crest derivatives, juxtaposition of epidermis with either early (stages 4–5) or later (stages 6–10) neural plate results in the generation of both melanocytes and sympathoadrenal cells. Interestingly, neural plates isolated from early stages form no neural crest cells, whereas those isolated later give rise to melanocytes but not crest-derived sympathoadrenal cells. Single cell lineage analysis was performed to determine the time at which the neural crest lineage diverges from the epidermal lineage and to elucidate the timing of neural plate/epidermis interactions during normal development. Our results from stage 8 to 10+ embryos show that the neural plate/neural crest lineage segregates from the epidermis around the time of neural tube closure, suggesting that neural induction is still underway at open neural plate stages.


Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 1069-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lallier ◽  
M. Bronner-Fraser

The mechanisms of neural crest cell interaction with laminin were explored using a quantitative cell attachment assay. With increasing substratum concentrations, an increasing percentage of neural crest cells adhere to laminin. Cell adhesion at all substratum concentrations was inhibited by the CSAT antibody, which recognizes the chick beta 1 subunit of integrin, suggesting that beta 1-integrins mediate neural crest cell interactions with laminin. The HNK-1 antibody, which recognizes a carbohydrate epitope, inhibited neural crest cell attachment to laminin at low coating concentrations (greater than 1 microgram ml-1; Low-LM), but not at high coating concentration of laminin (10 micrograms ml-1; High-LM). Attachment to Low-LM occurred in the absence of divalent cations, whereas attachment to High-LM required greater than 0.1 mM Ca2+ or Mn2+. Neural crest cell adherence to the E8 fragment of laminin, derived from its long arm, was similar to that on intact laminin at high and low coating concentrations, suggesting that this fragment contains the neural crest cell binding site(s). The HNK-1 antibody recognizes a protein of 165,000 Mr which is also found in immunoprecipitates using antibodies against the beta 1 subunit of integrin and is likely to be an integrin alpha subunit or an integrin-associated protein. Our results suggest that the HNK-1 epitope on neural crest cells is present on or associated with a novel or differentially glycosylated form of beta 1-integrin, which recognizes laminin in the apparent absence of divalent cations. We conclude that neural crest cells have at least two functionally independent means of attachment to laminin which are revealed at different substratum concentrations and/or conformations of laminin.


Development ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.N. Serbedzija ◽  
M. Bronner-Fraser ◽  
S.E. Fraser

To permit a more detailed analysis of neural crest cell migratory pathways in the chick embryo, neural crest cells were labelled with a nondeleterious membrane intercalating vital dye, DiI. All neural tube cells with endfeet in contact with the lumen, including premigratory neural crest cells, were labelled by pressure injecting a solution of DiI into the lumen of the neural tube. When assayed one to three days later, migrating neural crest cells, motor axons, and ventral root cells were the only cells types external to the neural tube labelled with DiI. During the neural crest cell migratory phase, distinctly labelled cells were found along: (1) a dorsolateral pathway, under the epidermis, as well adjacent to and intercalating through the dermamyotome; and (2) a ventral pathway, through the rostral portion of each sclerotome and around the dorsal aorta as described previously. In contrast to those cells migrating through the sclerotome, labelled cells on the dorsolateral pathway were not segmentally arranged along the rostrocaudal axis. DiI-labelled cells were observed in all truncal neural crest derivatives, including subepidermal presumptive pigment cells, dorsal root ganglia, and sympathetic ganglia. By varying the stage at which the injection was performed, neural crest cell emigration at the level of the wing bud was shown to occur from stage 13 through stage 22. In addition, neural crest cells were found to populate their derivatives in a ventral-to-dorsal order, with the latest emigrating cells migrating exclusively along the dorsolateral pathway.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (10) ◽  
pp. 2181-2189 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Eickholt ◽  
S.L. Mackenzie ◽  
A. Graham ◽  
F.S. Walsh ◽  
P. Doherty

Collapsin-1 belongs to the Semaphorin family of molecules, several members of which have been implicated in the co-ordination of axon growth and guidance. Collapsin-1 can function as a selective chemorepellent for sensory neurons, however, its early expression within the somites and the cranial neural tube (Shepherd, I., Luo, Y., Raper, J. A. and Chang, S. (1996) Dev. Biol. 173, 185–199) suggest that it might contribute to the control of additional developmental processes in the chick. We now report a detailed study on the expression of collapsin-1 as well as on the distribution of collapsin-1-binding sites in regions where neural crest cell migration occurs. collapsin-1 expression is detected in regions bordering neural crest migration pathways in both the trunk and hindbrain regions and a receptor for collapsin-1, neuropilin-1, is expressed by migrating crest cells derived from both regions. When added to crest cells in vitro, a collapsin-1-Fc chimeric protein induces morphological changes similar to those seen in neuronal growth cones. In order to test the function of collapsin-1 on the migration of neural crest cells, an in vitro assay was used in which collapsin-1-Fc was immobilised in alternating stripes consisting of collapsin-Fc/fibronectin versus fibronectin alone. Explanted neural crest cells derived from both trunk and hindbrain regions avoided the collapsin-Fc-containing substratum. These results suggest that collapsin-1 signalling can contribute to the patterning of neural crest cell migration in the developing chick.


Development ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 925-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.C. Smith-Thomas ◽  
A.R. Johnson ◽  
J.W. Fawcett

Amongst the many cell types that differentiate from migratory neural crest cells are the Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system. While it has been demonstrated that Schwann cells will not fully differentiate unless in contact with neurons, the factors that cause neural crest cells to enter the differentiative pathway that leads to Schwann cells are unknown. In a previous paper (Development 105: 251, 1989), we have demonstrated that a proportion of morphologically undifferentiated neural crest cells express the Schwann cell markers 217c and NGF receptor, and later, as they acquire the bipolar morphology typical of Schwann cells in culture, express S-100 and laminin. In the present study, we have grown axons from embryonic retina on neural crest cultures to see whether this has an effect on the differentiation of neural crest cells into Schwann cells. After 4 to 6 days of co-culture, many more cells had acquired bipolar morphology and S-100 staining than in controls with no retinal explant, and most of these cells were within 200 microns of an axon, though not necessarily in contact with axons. However, the number of cells expressing the earliest Schwann cell markers 217c and NGF receptor was not affected by the presence of axons. We conclude that axons produce a factor, which is probably diffusible, and which makes immature Schwann cells differentiate. The factor does not, however, influence the entry of neural crest cells into the earliest stages of the Schwann cell differentiative pathway.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (8) ◽  
pp. 1671-1679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Chai ◽  
X. Jiang ◽  
Y. Ito ◽  
P. Bringas ◽  
J. Han ◽  
...  

Neural crest cells are multipotential stem cells that contribute extensively to vertebrate development and give rise to various cell and tissue types. Determination of the fate of mammalian neural crest has been inhibited by the lack of appropriate markers. Here, we make use of a two-component genetic system for indelibly marking the progeny of the cranial neural crest during tooth and mandible development. In the first mouse line, Cre recombinase is expressed under the control of the Wnt1 promoter as a transgene. Significantly, Wnt1 transgene expression is limited to the migrating neural crest cells that are derived from the dorsal CNS. The second mouse line, the ROSA26 conditional reporter (R26R), serves as a substrate for the Cre-mediated recombination. Using this two-component genetic system, we have systematically followed the migration and differentiation of the cranial neural crest (CNC) cells from E9.5 to 6 weeks after birth. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that CNC cells contribute to the formation of condensed dental mesenchyme, dental papilla, odontoblasts, dentine matrix, pulp, cementum, periodontal ligaments, chondrocytes in Meckel's cartilage, mandible, the articulating disc of temporomandibular joint and branchial arch nerve ganglia. More importantly, there is a dynamic distribution of CNC- and non-CNC-derived cells during tooth and mandibular morphogenesis. These results are a first step towards a comprehensive understanding of neural crest cell migration and differentiation during mammalian craniofacial development. Furthermore, this transgenic model also provides a new tool for cell lineage analysis and genetic manipulation of neural-crest-derived components in normal and abnormal embryogenesis.


Development ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.H. Epperlein ◽  
W. Halfter ◽  
R.P. Tucker

It is generally assumed that in amphibian embryos neural crest cells migrate dorsally, where they form the mesenchyme of the dorsal fin, laterally (between somites and epidermis), where they give rise to pigment cells, and ventromedially (between somites and neural tube), where they form the elements of the peripheral nervous system. While there is agreement about the crest migratory routes in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), different opinions exist about the lateral pathway in Xenopus. We investigated neural crest cell migration in Xenopus (stages 23, 32, 35/36 and 41) using the X. laevis-X. borealis nuclear marker system and could not find evidence for cells migrating laterally. We have also used immunohistochemistry to study the distribution of the extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins fibronectin (FN) and tenascin (TN), which have been implicated in directing neural crest cells during their migrations in avian and mammalian embryos, in the neural crest migratory pathways of Xenopus and the axolotl. In premigratory stages of the crest, both in Xenopus (stage 22) and the axolotl (stage 25), FN was found subepidermally and in extracellular spaces around the neural tube, notochord and somites. The staining was particularly intense in the dorsal part of the embryo, but it was also present along the visceral and parietal layers of the lateral plate mesoderm. TN, in contrast, was found only in the anterior trunk mesoderm in Xenopus; in the axolotl, it was absent. During neural crest cell migration in Xenopus (stages 25–33) and the axolotl (stages 28–35), anti-FN stained the ECM throughout the embryo, whereas anti-TN staining was limited to dorsal regions. There it was particularly intense medially, i.e. in the dorsal fin, around the neural tube, notochord, dorsal aorta and at the medial surface of the somites (stage 35 in both species). During postmigratory stages in Xenopus (stage 40), anti-FN staining was less intense than anti-TN staining. In culture, axolotl neural crest cells spread differently on FN- and TN-coated substrata. On TN, the onset of cellular outgrowth was delayed for about 1 day, but after 3 days the extent of outgrowth was indistinguishable from cultures grown on FN. However, neural crest cells in 3-day-old cultures were much more flattened on FN than on TN. We conclude that both FN and TN are present in the ECM that lines the neural crest migratory pathways of amphibian embryos at the time when the neural crest cells are actively migrating. FN is present in the embryonic ECM before the onset of neural crest migration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 462-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Rovasio ◽  
A Delouvee ◽  
K M Yamada ◽  
R Timpl ◽  
J P Thiery

Cells of the neural crest participate in a major class of cell migratory events during embryonic development. From indirect evidence, it has been suggested that fibronectin (FN) might be involved in these events. We have directly tested the role of FN in neural crest cell adhesion and migration using several in vitro model systems. Avian trunk neural crest cells adhered readily to purified plasma FN substrates and to extracellular matrices containing cellular FN. Their adhesion was inhibited by antibodies to a cell-binding fragment of FN. In contrast, these cells did not adhere to glass, type I collagen, or to bovine serum albumin in the absence of FN. Neural crest cell adhesion to laminin (LN) was significantly less than to FN; however, culturing of crest cells under conditions producing an epithelioid phenotype resulted in cells that could bind equally as well to LN as to FN. The migration of neural crest cells appeared to depend on both the substrate and the extent of cell interactions. Cells migrated substantially more rapidly on FN than on LN or type I collagen substrates; if provided a choice between stripes of FN and glass or LN, cells migrated preferentially on the FN. Migration was inhibited by antibodies against the cell-binding region of FN, and the inhibition could be reversed by a subsequent addition of exogenous FN. However, the migration on FN was random and displayed little persistence of direction unless cells were at high densities that permitted frequent contacts. The in vitro rate of migration of cells on FN-containing matrices was 50 microns/h, similar to their migration rates along the narrow regions of FN-containing extracellular matrix in migratory pathways in vivo. These results indicate that FN is important for neural crest cell adhesion and migration and that the high cell densities of neural crest cells in the transient, narrow migratory pathways found in the embryo are necessary for effective directional migration.


Gut ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Leibl ◽  
T Ota ◽  
M N Woodward ◽  
S E Kenny ◽  
D A Lloyd ◽  
...  

BackgroundMutations in endothelin 3 (EDN3) and endothelin B receptor (EDNRB) genes cause terminal colonic aganglionosis in mice, and mutations in these genes have also been linked to the terminal aganglionosis seen in human Hirschsprung’s disease. However, details of EDN3 expression during embryogenesis are lacking, and consequently the cellular mechanism by which EDN3 regulates innervation of the terminal gut is unclear.AimsTo localise the expression of EDN3 and EDNRB in the embryonic mouse gut.MethodsExpression of EDN3 and EDNRB mRNA was analysed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridisation.ResultsHigh levels of EDN3 mRNA expression were restricted to mesenchymal cells of the caecum before and after the arrival of neural crest cells. In contrast, EDNRB expression along the gut displayed a time dependent pattern similar to those of the protein tyrosine kinase ret and the neural crest cell marker PGP9.5.ConclusionsMesenchymal cells of the caecum express high levels of EDN3 mRNA during embryogenesis and hence the production of EDN3 at the caecum is likely to act on neural crest cells as a paracrine factor necessary for subsequent innervation of the terminal gut.


2001 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Xu ◽  
W.E.I. Li ◽  
G.Y. Huang ◽  
R. Meyer ◽  
T. Chen ◽  
...  

Connexin 43 (Cx43α1) gap junction has been shown to have an essential role in mediating functional coupling of neural crest cells and in modulating neural crest cell migration. Here, we showed that N-cadherin and wnt1 are required for efficient dye coupling but not for the expression of Cx43α1 gap junctions in neural crest cells. Cell motility was found to be altered in the N-cadherin–deficient neural crest cells, but the alterations were different from that elicited by Cx43α1 deficiency. In contrast, wnt1-deficient neural crest cells showed no discernible change in cell motility. These observations suggest that dye coupling may not be a good measure of gap junction communication relevant to motility. Alternatively, Cx43α1 may serve a novel function in motility. We observed that p120 catenin (p120ctn), an Armadillo protein known to modulate cell motility, is colocalized not only with N-cadherin but also with Cx43α1. Moreover, the subcellular distribution of p120ctn was altered with N-cadherin or Cx43α1 deficiency. Based on these findings, we propose a model in which Cx43α1 and N-cadherin may modulate neural crest cell motility by engaging in a dynamic cross-talk with the cell's locomotory apparatus through p120ctn signaling.


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