Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Development. 2022 Aug 1;149(15). doi: 10.1242/dev.200712. Epub 2022 Jul 29.
Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a dynamic, multipotent, vertebrate-specific population of embryonic stem cells. These ectodermally-derived cells contribute to diverse tissue types in developing embryos including craniofacial bone and cartilage, the peripheral and enteric nervous systems and pigment cells, among a host of other cell types. Due to their contribution to a significant number of adult tissue types, the mechanisms that drive their formation, migration and differentiation are highly studied. NCCs have a unique ability to transition from tightly adherent epithelial cells to mesenchymal and migratory cells by altering their polarity, expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules and gaining invasive abilities. In this Review, we discuss classical and emerging factors driving NCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and migration, highlighting the role of signaling and transcription factors, as well as novel modifying factors including chromatin remodelers, small RNAs and post-translational regulators, which control the availability and longevity of major NCC players.
神经嵴细胞（NCC）是一种活跃的、多能的、脊椎动物特异性的胚胎干细胞群体。这些外胚层来源的细胞有助于发育中的胚胎中的多种组织类型，包括颅面骨和软骨、周围和肠神经系统以及色素细胞，以及许多其他细胞类型。由于它们对大量成年组织类型的贡献，因此研究了驱动其形成、迁移和分化的机制。NCC 具有通过改变其极性、细胞间黏附分子的表达和获得侵袭能力，从紧密附着的上皮细胞转变为间充质和迁移细胞的独特能力。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了驱动 NCC 上皮-间充质转化和迁移的经典和新兴因素，强调了信号转导和转录因子的作用，以及包括染色质重塑因子、小 RNA 和翻译后调节因子在内的新型修饰因子，它们控制着主要 NCC 因子的可用性和寿命。
