Owing to the broad contribution of neural crest cells to derivatives throughout the body, a large number of human health conditions are associated with improper neural crest development and differentiation. Neural crest cells are unique to vertebrates, and have defined the taxa by contributing to the evolution of key features of the predatory lifestyle, including a jaw, a larger brain enclosure, and paired sense organs ( Gans & Northcutt, 1983 Northcutt, 2005). The neural crest is an embryonic, multipotent cell population that migrates extensively and gives rise to a multitude of derivatives throughout the body, including melanocytes, peripheral neurons and glia, and craniofacial bone, cartilage, and connective tissue. We further provide current perspectives into the molecular network involved during the segregation of the neural crest lineage.
In this review, we discuss the current findings of neural crest cell ontogeny, and consider tissue, cell, and molecular contributions toward neural crest formation. Further, aberrant neural crest cell development and differentiation is the root cause of many human pathologies, including cancers, rare syndromes, and birth malformations. These ectomesenchymal derivatives play a critical role in the formation of the vertebrate head, and are thought to be a key attribute at the center of vertebrate evolution and diversity. However, the neural crest also generates many ectomesenchymal derivatives in the cranial region, including cell types considered to be of mesodermal origin such as cartilage, bone, and adipose tissue. Thought to originate from ectodermal tissue, neural crest cells generate neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system, and melanocytes throughout the body. The neural crest is a fascinating embryonic population unique to vertebrates that is endowed with remarkable differentiation capacity.
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