Abstract

BackgroundNeural crest cells are vertebrate-specific multipotent cells that contribute to a variety of tissues including the peripheral nervous system, melanocytes, and craniofacial bones and cartilage. Abnormal development of the neural crest is associated with several human maladies including cleft/lip palate, aggressive cancers such as melanoma and neuroblastoma, and rare syndromes, like Waardenburg syndrome, a complex disorder involving hearing loss and pigment defects. We previously identified the transcription factor Pax7 as an early marker, and required component for neural crest development in chick embryos. In mammals, Pax7 is also thought to play a role in neural crest development, yet the precise contribution of Pax7 progenitors to the neural crest lineage has not been determined.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we use Cre/loxP technology in double transgenic mice to fate map the Pax7 lineage in neural crest derivates. We find that Pax7 descendants contribute to multiple tissues including the cranial, cardiac and trunk neural crest, which in the cranial cartilage form a distinct regional pattern. The Pax7 lineage, like the Pax3 lineage, is additionally detected in some non-neural crest tissues, including a subset of the epithelial cells in specific organs.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results demonstrate a previously unappreciated widespread distribution of Pax7 descendants within and beyond the neural crest. They shed light regarding the regionally distinct phenotypes observed in Pax3 and Pax7 mutants, and provide a unique perspective into the potential roles of Pax7 during disease and development.

Highlights

  • Unique to vertebrates, multipotent neural crest cells are found during early embryonic development, and in limited but specific regions in the adult [1,2,3,4]

  • Pax7 expression was more widely detected at E9.5 in the rostral neural tube (Fig. 1C), but markedly absent from the caudal neural tube (Fig. 1D), consistent with the suggestion that the Pax7 lineage contributes more highly to cranial regions [23]

  • The Pax7 Lineage in Non-neural Crest Regions Our focus was primarily on neural crest derivatives, we examined tissues not commonly associated with the neural crest, as some were previously reported in the Pax3 lineage [31], the closest Pax family member to Pax7

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Multipotent neural crest cells are found during early embryonic development, and in limited but specific regions in the adult [1,2,3,4]. The axis can be roughly divided into three groups: the cranial, cardiac ( termed vagal), and trunk (including the sacral) neural crest. The cranial crest migrates dorsolaterally into the head region to produce cells including neurons, glia, and craniofacial mesenchyme such as various connective tissues (muscle, bones and cartilage) [6,8,9,10]. Neural crest cells migrate either dorsolaterally to produce melanocytes, or ventrolaterally to produce cells of the peripheral nervous system (the dorsal root, sympathetic and parasympathetic (enteric) ganglia) [5]. Neural crest cells are vertebrate-specific multipotent cells that contribute to a variety of tissues including the peripheral nervous system, melanocytes, and craniofacial bones and cartilage. Pax is thought to play a role in neural crest development, yet the precise contribution of Pax progenitors to the neural crest lineage has not been determined

Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call