Establishing neural crest identity: a gene regulatory recipe

Abstract

The neural crest is a stem/progenitor cell population that contributes to a wide variety of derivatives, including sensory and autonomic ganglia, cartilage and bone of the face and pigment cells of the skin. Unique to vertebrate embryos, it has served as an excellent model system for the study of cell behavior and identity owing to its multipotency, motility and ability to form a broad array of cell types. Neural crest development is thought to be controlled by a suite of transcriptional and epigenetic inputs arranged hierarchically in a gene regulatory network. Here, we examine neural crest development from a gene regulatory perspective and discuss how the underlying genetic circuitry results in the features that define this unique cell population.

Controlled levels of canonical Wnt signaling are required for neural crest migration

“…Those genes specify the neural plate border, a wider domain including prospective epidermis and neural plate. Subsequently these factors along with combinations of the same signaling pathways then trigger the expression of NC specifires, a second set of transcription factors including Ets1, Snail1/2, FoxD3, Sox9/10, Twist, cMyc, and Ap2 (Simões-Costa Bronner, 2015), which activate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allowing NC cells to delaminate from the neural tube and become migratory cells ( Fig.1.4B). On the contrary to neural plate border specifiers, expression of NC specifires is restricted exclusively to the …”

Tfap2 and Sox1/2/3 cooperatively specify ectodermal fates in ascidian embryos

“…Tfap2 is expressed in non-neural ectoderm and in the neural plate border of vertebrate embryos (Simoes-Costa and Bronner, 2015). Although Ciona embryos might also have a rudimentary neural crest and rudimentary placodes (Abitua et al, 2015(Abitua et al, , 2012Ikeda et al, 2013;Manni et al, 2004;Stolfi et al, 2015a;Wagner and Levine, 2012;Waki et al, 2015), Tfap2-r.b expression is downregulated in these lineages by Fgf signaling.…”

A direct role for murine Cdx proteins in the trunk neural crest-gene regulatory network

“…Evidence from the study of the cranial NC population in zebrafish, chick and frog embryos has led to a putative NC gene regulatory network (GRN) (Simoes-Costa and Bronner, 2015;Stuhlmiller and García-Castro, 2012). This network notably involves the convergence of posteriorizing (canonical Wnt and FGF) and mediolateral (BMP) signaling inputs at the neural plate border and the stepwise induction of, first, a kernel of 'neural plate border specifier' genes that encode transcription factors such as Pax3/7, Msx1/2 and Zic1/2, followed by a second module of 'NC specifier' genes that encode transcription factors such as FoxD3 and Sox9/10.…”