CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The neural crest cell is a migratory embryonic cell population that forms at the border between the neural plate and the future epidermis. This border of the neural plate, or neural plate border, corresponds to the neural fold. The neural folds surround the entire neural plate but only the lateral and posterior portion of the fold give rise to the neural crest cells, while the anterior neural folds differentiate as forebrain. We will analyze some aspects concerning the specification of the neural crest at the lateral-posterior border of the neural plate. We have shown that an interaction between neural plate and epidermis is enough to induce neural crest cells, and currently this seems the most accepted model for neural crest induction. However, there are several results in amphibian and zebrafish embryos that suggest a model based on a BMP gradient for neural crest specification. We have shown that levels of BMP signaling intermediate to those that specify neural plate and epidermis play a role in establishing neural plate border fates, including neural crest. Our recent results show that in order to induce neural crest .properly a posteriorizing signal coming from the posterior mesoderm pattern the neural plate border as anterior neural fold (forebrain) and posterior neural fold (neural crest). The molecular nature of this posteriorizing signal seems to be the same as that for the posteriorization of the neural plate: FGF, Wnt-8 and retinoic acid. We ´propose a general model for neural crest induction. Finally, once the neural crest is induced a genetic program is activated in those cells. We are studding the function of several genes involved in this program, such as members of the Snai1 and the Sox family.

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