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Using advanced imaging techniques to study in vivo cellular and molecular events of neural crest cell migration
Author(s) -
Kulesa Paul M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a3-c
Subject(s) - filopodia , neural crest , lamellipodium , cranial neural crest , neural fold , cell migration , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pseudopodia , cell , neural plate , live cell imaging , neural cell , neuroscience , anatomy , embryo , actin , genetics
The patterning of neural crest cell migratory streams during development is an accessible and powerful system for studying invasive cell migration in the embryo. Cranial neural crest cells invade the tissue in a programmed manner, forming discrete migratory streams that distribute the cells into specific branchial arch targets. Advanced imaging techniques now permit questions about cellular and molecular events to be posed within the intact chick embryo. Here, we explore the extent to which cranial neural crest cells use cell‐cell and cell‐environment interactions to pathfind. Using fluorescent proteins to mark cell membrane and cytoskeletal elements, we follow in vivo neural crest cell dynamics with confocal time‐lapse microscopy. We find that neural crest cells are in nearly constant contact with each other and the microenvironment. Cells use lamellipodia or short, thin filopodia (1–2 um wide) for local contacts (<20um). Non‐local, long distance contact (up to 100um) is initiated by filopodia that extend and retract, extend and track, or tether two neighboring cells. We suggest that our in vivo evidence for local and long‐range cell interactions supports a possible role for these contacts in neural crest cell directional guidance. Support for this work is provided by the Stowers Institute.