PUBLICATION

Neural crest delamination and migration: From epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition to collective cell migration

Authors
Theveneau, E., and Mayor, R.
ID
ZDB-PUB-120125-26
Date
2012
Source
Developmental Biology   366(1): 34-54 (Review)
Registered Authors
Mayor, Roberto
Keywords
neural crest cells, epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition, collective cell migration, chemotaxis, contact-inhibition of locomotion, cancer, metastasis
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Communication
  • Cell Movement*
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neural Crest*/cytology
  • Neural Crest*/embryology
  • Neural Crest*/physiology
  • Xenopus
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
22261150 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Abstract

After induction and specification in the ectoderm, at the border of the neural plate, the neural crest (NC) population leaves its original territory through a delamination process. Soon afterwards, the NC cells migrate throughout the embryo and colonize a myriad of tissues and organs where they settle and differentiate. The delamination involves a partial or complete epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition (EMT) regulated by a complex network of transcription factors including several proto-oncogenes. Studying the relationship between these genes at the time of emigration, and their individual or collective impact on cell behavior, provides valuable information about their role in EMT in other contexts such as cancer metastasis. During migration, NC cells are exposed to large number of positive and negative regulators that control where they go by generating permissive and restricted areas and by modulating their motility and directionality. In addition, as most NC cells migrate collectively, cell–cell interactions play a crucial role in polarizing the cells and interpreting external cues. Cell cooperation eventually generates an overall polarity to the population, leading to directional collective cell migration. This review will summarize our current knowledge on delamination, EMT and migration of NC cells using key examples from chicken, Xenopus, zebrafish and mouse embryos. Given the similarities between neural crest migration and cancer invasion, these cells may represent a useful model for understanding the mechanisms of metastasis.

Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping