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Neural crest cell communication involves an exchange of cytoplasmic material through cellular bridges revealed by photoconversion of KikGR
Author(s) -
McKinney Mary Cathleen,
Stark Danny A.,
Teddy Jessica,
Kulesa Paul M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.22612
Subject(s) - cytoplasm , biology , neural crest , fluorescence recovery after photobleaching , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , photobleaching , live cell imaging , biophysics , dynamics (music) , cell migration , anatomy , embryo , membrane , genetics , physics , fluorescence , optics , acoustics
Neural crest (NC) cells invade the vertebrate embryo in ordered migratory streams, yet it is unclear whether cells communicate to maintain spacing and direction. Here, we examined NC cell communication in detail, using optical highlighting and photobleaching to monitor cell contact dynamics. We observed cytoplasmic transfer between NC cell neighbors through thin cellular bridges. The transfer of molecules between NC cells was bi‐directional, not at equal rates, and independent of bridge dynamics. The cytoplasmic transfer was prevalent in recently divided NC cells. Molecular simulations, based on Brownian motion and measured cell volumes, predicted that simple diffusion could not account for observed cytoplasmic transfer rates. Cell tracking revealed that exchange of cytoplasmic material preceded the re‐orientation of cells to the direction of migration. Our data suggest a mechanism by which NC cells communicate position information through the formation of cellular bridges that allow exchange of cytoplasmic material through active transport. Developmental Dynamics 240:1391–1401, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.