Fate map and morphogenesis of presumptive neural crest and dorsal neural tube
Abstract
In contrast to the classical assumption that neural crest cells are induced in chick as the neural folds elevate, recent data suggest that they are already specified during gastrulation. This prompted us to map the origin of the neural crest and dorsal neural tube in the early avian embryo. Using a combination of focal dye injections and time-lapse imaging, we find that neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors are present in a broad, crescent-shaped region of the gastrula. Surprisingly, static fate maps together with dynamic confocal imaging reveal that the neural plate border is considerably broader and extends more caudally than expected. Interestingly, we find that the position of the presumptive neural crest broadly correlates with the BMP4 expression domain from gastrula to neurula stages. Some degree of rostrocaudal patterning, albeit incomplete, is already evident in the gastrula. Time-lapse imaging studies show that the neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors undergo choreographed movements that follow a spatiotemporal progression and include convergence and extension, reorientation, cell intermixing, and motility deep within the embryo. Through these rearrangement and reorganization movements, the neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors become regionally segregated, coming to occupy predictable rostrocaudal positions along the embryonic axis. This regionalization occurs progressively and appears to be complete in the neurula by stage 7 at levels rostral to Hensen's node.
Additional Information
© 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc. Received 30 March 2008; revised 9 February 2009; accepted 12 March 2009. Available online 28 March 2009. We thank the members of the Bronner-Fraser and Fraser labs. We first and foremost thank Jack Sechrist for training and the innumerable hours he spent helping with analysis of histological sections and with correlating injection spots on time-lapse sequences with dye labels on cryosections. Special thanks also to Tatajana Demyanenko for help with sectioning embryos and Christopher Waters for assistance in the Beckman Imaging Center. Thanks also to Matthew Jones for help with sectioning embryos. This work was funded by NIH grant NS36585 and NRSA 5F32HL078141.Attached Files
Accepted Version - nihms121352.pdf
Supplemental Material - video1.mov
Supplemental Material - video2.mov
Supplemental Material - video3.mov
Files
Additional details
- PMCID
- PMC2717095
- Eprint ID
- 14669
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.03.018
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20090727-094307609
- NS36585
- NIH
- NRSA 5F32HL078141
- NIH
- Created
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2009-08-04Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-08Created from EPrint's last_modified field