A novel spalt gene expressed in branchial arches affects the ability of cranial neural crest cells to populate sensory ganglia.

ABSTRACT: Cranial neural crest cells differentiate into diverse derivatives including neurons and glia of the cranial ganglia, and cartilage and bone of the facial skeleton. Here, we explore the function of a novel transcription factor of the spalt family that might be involved in early cell-lineage decisions of the avian neural crest. The chicken spalt4 gene (csal4) is expressed in the neural tube, migrating neural crest, branchial arches and, transiently, in the cranial ectoderm. Later, it is expressed in the mesectodermal, but not neuronal or glial, derivatives of midbrain and hindbrain neural crest. After over-expression by electroporation into the cranial neural tube and neural crest, we observed a marked redistribution of electroporated neural crest cells in the vicinity of the trigeminal gang

SUBMITTER: Barembaum M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1508165 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature