Is there a ventral neural ridge in chick embryos? Implications for the origin of adenohypophyseal and other APUD cells

Development ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-78
Author(s):  
N. B. Levy ◽  
Ann Andrew ◽  
B. B. Rawdon ◽  
Beverley Kramer

Two- to ten-somite chick embryos were studied in order to ascertain whether, as has been proposed, there exists a ‘ventral neural ridge’ which gives rise to the hypophyseal (Rathke's) pouch. Serial sections and stereo-microscopy were used. The neural ridges arch around the rostral end of the embryo onto the ventral surface of the head, but no evidence was found for their extension to form a ‘ventral neural ridge’ reaching the stomodaeum: in fact a considerable expanse of non-thickened surface ectoderm was seen to separate the ventral portions of the neural ridges from the stomodaeum. The thickening of neural ectoderm which does appear on the ventral surface of the head results from apposition and fusion of the opposite neural ridges flanking the neural plate and thus the tip of the anterior neuropore - the classically accepted mode of closure of the neuropore. These findings are in accord with the generally accepted concept of the origin of thehypophyseal pouch rather than with its derivation from a ‘ventral neural ridge’. No sign of neural crest formation was encountered ventrally; this observation excludes the possibility that endocrine cells of the APUD series could originate from neural crest in this region.

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Selleck ◽  
M. Bronner-Fraser

We have investigated the lineage and tissue interactions that result in avian neural crest cell formation from the ectoderm. Presumptive neural plate was grafted adjacent to non-neural ectoderm in whole embryo culture to examine the role of tissue interactions in ontogeny of the neural crest. Our results show that juxtaposition of non-neural ectoderm and presumptive neural plate induces the formation of neural crest cells. Quail/chick recombinations demonstrate that both the prospective neural plate and the prospective epidermis can contribute to the neural crest. When similar neural plate/epidermal confrontations are performed in tissue culture to look at the formation of neural crest derivatives, juxtaposition of epidermis with either early (stages 4–5) or later (stages 6–10) neural plate results in the generation of both melanocytes and sympathoadrenal cells. Interestingly, neural plates isolated from early stages form no neural crest cells, whereas those isolated later give rise to melanocytes but not crest-derived sympathoadrenal cells. Single cell lineage analysis was performed to determine the time at which the neural crest lineage diverges from the epidermal lineage and to elucidate the timing of neural plate/epidermis interactions during normal development. Our results from stage 8 to 10+ embryos show that the neural plate/neural crest lineage segregates from the epidermis around the time of neural tube closure, suggesting that neural induction is still underway at open neural plate stages.


Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (24) ◽  
pp. 4919-4930 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Selleck ◽  
M.I. Garcia-Castro ◽  
K.B. Artinger ◽  
M. Bronner-Fraser

To define the timing of neural crest formation, we challenged the fate of presumptive neural crest cells by grafting notochords, Sonic Hedgehog- (Shh) or Noggin-secreting cells at different stages of neurulation in chick embryos. Notochords or Shh-secreting cells are able to prevent neural crest formation at open neural plate levels, as assayed by DiI-labeling and expression of the transcription factor, Slug, suggesting that neural crest cells are not committed to their fate at this time. In contrast, the BMP signaling antagonist, Noggin, does not repress neural crest formation at the open neural plate stage, but does so if injected into the lumen of the closing neural tube. The period of Noggin sensitivity corresponds to the time when BMPs are expressed in the dorsal neural tube but are down-regulated in the non-neural ectoderm. To confirm the timing of neural crest formation, Shh or Noggin were added to neural folds at defined times in culture. Shh inhibits neural crest production at early stages (0-5 hours in culture), whereas Noggin exerts an effect on neural crest production only later (5-10 hours in culture). Our results suggest three phases of neurulation that relate to neural crest formation: (1) an initial BMP-independent phase that can be prevented by Shh-mediated signals from the notochord; (2) an intermediate BMP-dependent phase around the time of neural tube closure, when BMP-4 is expressed in the dorsal neural tube; and (3) a later pre-migratory phase which is refractory to exogenous Shh and Noggin.


Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hunt ◽  
D. Wilkinson ◽  
R. Krumlauf

The structures of the face in vertebrates are largely derived from neural crest. There is some evidence to suggest that the form of the facial pattern is determined by the crest, and that it is specified before migration as to the structures that is is able to form. The neural crest is able to control the form of surrounding, non-neural crest tissues by an instructive interaction. Some of this cranial crest is derived from a region of the hindbrain that expresses Hox 2 homeobox genes in an overlapping and segment-restricted pattern. We have found that neurogenic and mesenchymal neural crest expresses Hox 2 genes from its point of origin beside the neural plate, during migration and after migration has ceased and that rhombomeres 3 and 5 do not have any expressing neural crest beside them. Each branchial arch expresses a different combination or code of Hox genes in a segment-restricted way. The surface ectoderm over the arches initially does not express Hox genes, and later adopts an expression pattern that reflects that of neural crest that has come to underlie it. We suggest that initially the neural plate and neural crest are spatially specified, while the surface ectoderm is unpatterned. Subsequently some positional information could be transferred to the surface ectoderm as a result of an interaction with the neural crest. Given that the role of the homologous genes in insects is position specification, and that neural crest is imprinted before migration, we suggest that Hox 2 genes are providing part of this positional information to the neural crest and hence are involved in patterning the structures of the branchial arches.


Development ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
J. Fontaine ◽  
N. M. Le Douarin

The formation of the endoderm has been investigated in chimaeric embryos resulting from the combination of the lower and upper germ layers taken from chick and quail embryos at stages 2–6 of Vakaët (1962). The ability to recognize quail from chick cells made it possible to follow the fate of each germ layer during development. It appeared that the primitive hypoblast participates in the formation of the anterolateral extra-embryonic endoderm while the embryonic endoderm is formed later by migration of cells of the ectomesoblast through Hensen's node and the primitive streak. Further interspecific combinations were carried out between ectoderm and endoderm + mesoderm from quail and chick embryos at stages 5–7 of Hamburger and Hamilton. The explants were grafted into chick embryos for several days and the intestinal structures which developed were observed. No contribution of cells from the neurectoderm to the endoderm was found. In contrast, cells coming from the neural crest colonized the intestinal structures and gave rise to the enteric ganglia. It was concluded from these observations that the enterochromaffin and endocrine cells of the gut epithelium do not originate from the neurectoderm.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Williams ◽  
Martyna Lukoseviciute ◽  
Tatjana Sauka-Spengler ◽  
Marianne E Bronner

The epiblast of vertebrate embryos is comprised of neural and non-neural ectoderm, with the border territory at their intersection harbouring neural crest and cranial placode progenitors. Here we profile avian epiblast cells as a function of time using single-cell RNA-seq to define transcriptional changes in the emerging ‘neural plate border’. The results reveal gradual establishment of heterogeneous neural plate border signatures, including novel genes that we validate by fluorescent in situ hybridisation. Developmental trajectory analysis shows that segregation of neural plate border lineages only commences at early neurulation, rather than at gastrulation as previously predicted. We find that cells expressing the prospective neural crest marker Pax7 contribute to multiple lineages, and a subset of premigratory neural crest cells shares a transcriptional signature with their border precursors. Together, our results suggest that cells at the neural plate border remain heterogeneous until early neurulation, at which time progenitors become progressively allocated toward defined lineages.


Development ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-120
Author(s):  
David H. Nichols

A histological technique is described which results in the differential staining of neural crest cells. This is used to describe the formation and early migration of crest cells in the head of the mouse embryo. The first indications of crest formation are seen in the midbrain/anterior hindbrain at 3–4 somites where crest cells accumulate in the basal surface of the ectodermal epithelium near the future margin of the neural plate. Shortly thereafter (4–6 somites) these cells disrupt the basal surface of the epithelium and escape as mesenchyme. The apical epithelial cells in this region become the surface ectoderm adjacent to the neural plate. Subsequently, crest is formed from neural plate rather than surface ectoderm. In addition, mesenchyme is formed from presumptive surface ectoderm in a groove in the lateral portion of the fold between the forebrain and the midbrain. By 5–7 somites, crest mesenchyme is formed at all levels of the midbrain, hindbrain, and from the margins of the forebrain adjacent to the optic pits. Because of the bending of the embryonic axis, forebrain crest cells appear to migrate dorsally over the presumptive eye where they are met by ventrally migrating midbrain crest cells. Crest formation continues in the region of the midbrain and hindbrain during, and for an undetermined period after closure of the head folds at between 8 and 16 somites. These results demonstrate differences in the origin and timing of crest formation between chick and mouse. From this may be inferred different patterns of crest migration as well. In addition, the ability to directly observe early crest formation should aid in the analysis of the mechanisms by which epithelial cells are converted into mesenchyme.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (18) ◽  
pp. eaaz1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Scerbo ◽  
Anne H. Monsoro-Burq

During Cambrian, unipotent progenitors located at the neural (plate) border (NB) of an Olfactoria chordate embryo acquired the competence to form ectomesenchyme, pigment cells and neurons, initiating the rise of the multipotent neural crest cells (NC) specific to vertebrates. Surprisingly, the known vertebrate NB/NC transcriptional circuitry is a constrained feature also found in invertebrates. Therefore, evidence for vertebrate-specific innovations endowing vertebrate NC with multipotency is still missing. Here, we identified VENTX/NANOG and POU5/OCT4 as vertebrate-specific innovations. When VENTX was depleted in vivo and in directly-induced NC, the NC lost its early multipotent state and its skeletogenic potential, but kept sensory neuron and pigment identity, thus reminiscent of invertebrate NB precursors. In vivo, VENTX gain-of-function enabled NB specifiers to reprogram embryonic non-neural ectoderm towards early NC identity. We propose that skeletogenic NC evolved by acquiring VENTX/NANOG activity, promoting a novel multipotent progenitor regulatory state into the pre-existing sensory neuron/pigment NB program.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (22) ◽  
pp. 4977-4987 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.A. Barth ◽  
Y. Kishimoto ◽  
K.B. Rohr ◽  
C. Seydler ◽  
S. Schulte-Merker ◽  
...  

Bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps) are key regulators of dorsoventral (DV) patterning. Within the ectoderm, Bmp activity has been shown to inhibit neural development, promote epidermal differentiation and influence the specification of dorsal neurons and neural crest. In this study, we examine the patterning of neural tissue in mutant zebrafish embryos with compromised Bmp signalling activity. We find that although Bmp activity does not influence anteroposterior (AP) patterning, it does affect DV patterning at all AP levels of the neural plate. Thus, we show that Bmp activity is required for specification of cell fates around the margin of the entire neural plate, including forebrain regions that do not form neural crest. Surprisingly, we find that Bmp activity is also required for patterning neurons at all DV levels of the CNS. In swirl/bmp2b(−) (swr(−)) embryos, laterally positioned sensory neurons are absent whereas more medial interneuron populations are hugely expanded. However, in somitabun(−) (sbn(−)) embryos, which probably retain higher residual Bmp activity, it is the sensory neurons and not the interneurons that are expanded. Conversely, in severely Bmp depleted embryos, both interneurons and sensory neurons are absent and it is the most medial neurons that are expanded. These results are consistent with there being a gradient of Bmp-dependent positional information extending throughout the entire neural and non-neural ectoderm.


2003 ◽  
Vol 296A (2) ◽  
pp. 108-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sei Kuriyama ◽  
Akihiro Ueda ◽  
Tsutomu Kinoshita

Development ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 661-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kramer ◽  
A. Andrew ◽  
B.B. Rawdon ◽  
P. Becker

To determine whether mesenchyme plays a part in the differentiation of gut endocrine cells, proventricular endoderm from 4- to 5-day chick or quail embryos was associated with mesenchyme from the dorsal pancreatic bud of chick embryos of the same age. The combinations were grown on the chorioallantoic membranes of host chick embryos until they reached a total incubation age of 21 days. Proventricular or pancreatic endoderm of the appropriate age and species reassociated with its own mesenchyme provided the controls. Morphogenesis in the experimental grafts corresponded closely to that in proventricular controls, i.e. the pancreatic mesenchyme supported the development of proventricular glands from proventricular endoderm. Insulin, glucagon and somatostatin cells and cells with pancreatic polypeptide-like immunoreactivity differentiated in the pancreatic controls. The latter three endocrine cell types, together with neurotensin and bombesin/gastrin-releasing polypeptide (GRP) cells, developed in proventricular controls and experimental grafts. The proportions of the major types common to proventriculus and pancreas (somatostatin and glucagon cells) were in general similar when experimental grafts were compared with proventricular controls but different when experimental and pancreatic control grafts were compared. Hence pancreatic mesenchyme did not materially affect the proportions of these three cell types in experimental grafts, induced no specific pancreatic (insulin) cell type and allowed the differentiation of the characteristic proventricular endocrine cell types, neurotensin and bombesin/GRP cells. However, an important finding was a significant reduction in the proportion of bombesin/GRP cells, attributable in part to a decrease in their number and in part to an increase in the numbers of endocrine cells of the other types. This indicates that mesenchyme may well play a part in determining the regional specificity of populations of gut endocrine cells.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document