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The neural crest, a uniquely vertebrate characteristic, gives rise to pigment cells, much of the peripheral nervous system, the craniofacial skeleton, and a plethora of other cell types. Classical embryological studies have revealed important details about the migratory pathways followed by these cells, and their subsequent differentiation into diverse derivatives. More recently, many aspects of the molecular cascade of events involved in neural crest induction and generation of these migratory cells have been revealed. Formation of the neural crest appears to involve a network of interactions whereby signaling molecules initiate the induction and, subsequently, the establishment of the neural plate border, which is marked by expression of a characteristic set of transcription factors designated as neural plate border-specifiers. These in turn regulate other transcription factors termed neural crest-specifiers, which control genes involved in neural crest delamination, the generation of migratory cells and ultimately the acquisition of appropriate fates.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.gde.2006.06.006

Type

Journal article

Journal

Curr Opin Genet Dev

Publication Date

08/2006

Volume

16

Pages

360 - 366

Keywords

Animals, Biological Evolution, Cell Movement, Chordata, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Neural Crest, Signal Transduction, Transcription Factors, Vertebrates