Neural Crest Transplantation Reveals Key Roles in the Evolution of Cavefish Development.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary changes in Astyanax mexicanus cavefish with respect to conspecific surface fish, including the regression of eyes, loss of pigmentation, and modification of the cranial skeleton, involve derivatives of the neural crest. However, the role of neural crest cells in cavefish evolution and development is poorly understood. One of the reasons is that experimental methods for neural crest analysis are not well developed in the Astyanax system. Here we describe neural crest transplantation between Astyanax surface fish and cavefish embryos. We found differences in the migration of cranial neural crest cells transplanted from the surface fish anterior hindbrain to the same region of surface fish or cavefish hosts. Cranial neural crest cells migrated extensively throughout the head, and

SUBMITTER: Yoshizawa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145416 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature