The diverse neural crest: from embryology to human pathology

Abstract

We review here some of the historical highlights in exploratory studies of the vertebrate embryonic structure known as the neural crest. The study of the molecular properties of the cells that it produces, their migratory capacities and plasticity, and the still-growing list of tissues that depend on their presence for form and function, continue to enrich our understanding of congenital malformations, paediatric cancers and evolutionary biology. Developmental biology has been key to our understanding of the neural crest, starting with the early days of experimental embryology and through to today, when increasingly powerful technologies contribute to further insight into this fascinating vertebrate cell population.

Sexual dimorphisms in adult human neural, mesoderm‐derived, and neural crest‐derived stem cells

“…Wilhelm His described the NC as a transient cell population arising during neurulation between the neural tube and the future ectoderm [65] reviewed in Ref. After neurulation of the vertebrate embryo, NC cells undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migrate into a broad range of tissues of the developing embryo, where they directly contribute to embryonic development [67] reviewed in [66,68,69]. After neurulation of the vertebrate embryo, NC cells undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migrate into a broad range of tissues of the developing embryo, where they directly contribute to embryonic development [67] reviewed in [66,68,69].…”

“…[66]. After neurulation of the vertebrate embryo, NC cells undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migrate into a broad range of tissues of the developing embryo, where they directly contribute to embryonic development [67] reviewed in [66,68,69]. Here, NC cells particularly differentiate to ectodermal and mesodermal cell types, like cardiac NC cells contributing to the formation of the heart, sacral, and vagal NC cells participating in development of enteric neurons and glia, or trunk NC cells giving rise to sensory and sympathetic ganglia [68,70,71].…”

Transcriptome profiling of the branchial arches reveals cell type composition and a conserved signature of neural crest cell invasion

“…During vertebrate development, multipotent neural crest cells migrate in discrete streams from 41 the dorsal neural tube to the periphery to form functional structures (Etchevers 2019). Mistakes 42 in collective migration or cell differentiation of the neural crest can result in severe birth defects 43 (Frisdal and Trainor 2014).…”

Unlocking the origins and biology of domestic animals using ancient DNA and paleogenomics

“…As an explanatory framework for a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, it has been hypothesized [158][159][160][161] that domestication has selected for pre-existing and novel genomic variants that perturb the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) underpinning ontogeny of the myriad tissues and anatomical structures derived from the vertebrate neural crest stem/progenitor cell population [162][163][164]. The neural crest hypothesis proposes that traits associated with the domestication syndrome have a shared developmental basis.…”