Manipulations of Neural Crest Cells or Their Migratory Pathways

Abstract

This chapter discusses techniques for the isolation, induction, and identification of neural crest cells in tissue culture as well as various manipulations of neural crest cells and some of the tissues with which they interact in the embryo. The formation of the embryo involves intricate cell movements, cell proliferation, and differentiation. The neural crest has long served as a model for the study of these processes because neural crest cells undergo extensive migrations and give rise to many diverse derivatives. Neural crest cells arise from the dorsal portion of the neural tube. Several unique properties of these cells make the neural crest an ideal system for studying cell migration and differentiation. First, these cells migrate extensively along characteristic pathways. Second, they give rise to diverse and numerous derivatives, ranging from pigment cells and cranial cartilage to adrenal chromaffin cells and the ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. Third, the characteristic position of premigratory neural crest cells within the dorsal portion of the neural tube makes them accessible to surgical and molecular manipulations during initial stages in their development. The methods described in this chapter provide a number of techniques that can be applied to the study of neural crest specification, migration, and differentiation.

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