Transcriptome profiling reveals expression signatures of cranial neural crest cells arising from different axial levels

Abstract

BackgroundCranial neural crest cells (NCCs) are a unique embryonic cell type which give rise to a diverse array of derivatives extending from neurons and glia through to bone and cartilage. Depending on their point of origin along the antero-posterior axis cranial NCCs are rapidly sorted into distinct migratory streams that give rise to axial specific structures. These migratory streams mirror the underlying segmentation of the brain with NCCs exiting the diencephalon and midbrain following distinct paths compared to those exiting the hindbrain rhombomeres (r). The genetic landscape of cranial NCCs arising at different axial levels remains unknown.ResultsHere we have used RNA sequencing to uncover the transcriptional profiles of mouse cranial NCCs arising at different axial levels. Whole transcriptome analysis identified over 120 transcripts differentially expressed between NCCs arising anterior to r3 (referred to as r1-r2 migratory stream for simplicity) and the r4 migratory stream. Eight of the genes differentially expressed between these populations were validated by RT-PCR with 2 being further validated by in situ hybridisation. We also explored the expression of the Neuropilins (Nrp1 and Nrp2) and their co-receptors and show that the A-type Plexins are differentially expressed in different cranial NCC streams.ConclusionsOur analyses identify a large number of genes differentially regulated between cranial NCCs arising at different axial levels. This data provides a comprehensive description of the genetic landscape driving diversity of distinct cranial NCC streams and provides novel insight into the regulatory networks controlling the formation of specific skeletal elements and the mechanisms promoting migration along different paths.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12861-017-0147-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Human axial progenitors generate trunk neural crest cells

“…The axial identity of the resulting posterior NC subtypes was further confirmed by the observation that some of the most-upregulated transcripts in +RA cells were established posterior cranial (e.g. ALX1/3 (58)), cardiac (e.g. FOXC1 and 2 (59); PDGFRa (60); TBX2/3 (61)) and vagal/enteric NC markers ( PHOX2A (62); KITLG (63); ARPC1B (64) ( Figure 4E) .…”

Human axial progenitors generate trunk neural crest cells in vitro

“…The axial identity of the resulting posterior NC subtypes was further confirmed by the observation that some of the most-upregulated transcripts in +RA cells were established posterior cranial (e.g. ALX1/3 [ Lumb et al, 2017 ]), cardiac (e.g. FOXC1 and 2 ( Seo and Kume, 2006 ); PDGFRa ( Tallquist and Soriano, 2003 ); TBX2/3 [ Mesbah et al, 2012 ]) and vagal/enteric NC markers ( PHOX2A ( Young et al, 1999 ); KITLG ( Torihashi et al, 1996 ); ARPC1B ( Iwashita et al, 2003 ) ( Figure 4E ).…”

Intracellular attenuation of BMP signaling via CKIP-1/Smurf1 is essential during neural crest induction

“…Smurf2 is not strongly expressed in chicken neural crest [ 35 ]. However, Smurf2 expression is comparable to that of Smurf1 in mouse neural crest cells [ 64 ], suggesting that Smurf2 may compensate for loss of CKIP-1 or Smurf1 in mice.…”