The neural crest provides a unique population of migratory stem cells with which to study a variety of cell and neural developmental processes. Neural crest cells emerge from the neural tube early in embryonic development and migrate throughout the embryo. We are just beginning to understand the cytoskeletal changes underlying their high motility and varied guidance. How do neural crest cells target particular derivatives and body regions with such precision? Research in the past 20 years has shown that chemorepellant molecules play crucial roles in neural crest migration. However, the presence of chemoattractants during neural crest cell development remained a controversial one. Our Pilot grant showed that trunk neural crest cells migrate vigorously towards NRG1 with a set of newly developed assays to study their migration. Interestingly, neural crest cell migration has been repeatedly likened to the process of metastasis and invasion. However, although there is a wealth of research on the mechanisms that govern the process of cell motility and invasion, we do not have much evidence showing that neural crest cells undergo similar sub-cellular changes as those seen in cancer cells. One critical step for mesenchymal migratory cells is the polarization of their cytoskeleton. Cells will respond (move towards) to a chemoattractant (or chemorepellant) after undergoing specific changes in their cytoskeleton that allows them to polarize their actin and tubulin cytoskeleton. The goal of the proposed new experiments is to further extend our preliminary findings on trunk neural crest cell chemoattraction by NRG1 by studying some of the underlying cytoskeletal mechanisms that change their migration towards a directional one.

Public Health Relevance

Neural crest cell migration has been repeatedly likened to the process of metastasis and invasion. However, although there is a wealth of research on the mechanisms that govern the process of cell motility and invasion, we do not have much evidence showing that neural crest cells undergo similar sub-cellular changes as those seen in cancer cells. The proposed research will study in extensive detail the changes that trunk neural crest actin and tubulin cytoskeleton undergo (polarizing, dynamics and leading edge formation) during chemoattraction to NRG1. The outcomes from this research will help us understand how we may be able to harness the metastatic aggressiveness of crest derived-cancers because it will look into the changes that allow neural crest cells migrate throughout the embryo as it happens in adults suffering from these cancers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Continuance Award (SC3)
Project #
5SC3GM096904-03
Application #
8452047
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZGM1-MBRS-7 (CG))
Program Officer
Okita, Richard T
Project Start
2011-06-01
Project End
2015-04-30
Budget Start
2013-05-01
Budget End
2014-04-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$103,421
Indirect Cost
$31,046
Name
California State University Northridge
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
055752331
City
Northridge
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
91330
De Bellard, Maria Elena; Ortega, Blanca; Sao, Sothy et al. (2018) Neuregulin-1 is a chemoattractant and chemokinetic molecule for trunk neural crest cells. Dev Dyn 247:888-902
de Bellard, Maria Elena (2016) Myelin in cartilaginous fish. Brain Res 1641:34-42
Giovannone, Dion; Ortega, Blanca; Reyes, Michelle et al. (2015) Chicken trunk neural crest migration visualized with HNK1. Acta Histochem 117:255-66
Zuhdi, Nora; Ortega, Blanca; Giovannone, Dion et al. (2015) Slit molecules prevent entrance of trunk neural crest cells in developing gut. Int J Dev Neurosci 41:8-16
Juarez, Marilyn; Reyes, Michelle; Coleman, Tiffany et al. (2013) Characterization of the trunk neural crest in the bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum. J Comp Neurol 521:3303-20
Walheim, Christopher C; Zanin, Juan Pablo; de Bellard, Maria Elena (2012) Analysis of trunk neural crest cell migration using a modified Zigmond chamber assay. J Vis Exp :
Reyes, Michelle; Zandberg, Katrina; Desmawati, Iska et al. (2010) Emergence and migration of trunk neural crest cells in a snake, the California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae). BMC Dev Biol 10:52
Cornejo, Martha; Nambi, Deborah; Walheim, Christopher et al. (2010) Effect of NRG1, GDNF, EGF and NGF in the migration of a Schwann cell precursor line. Neurochem Res 35:1643-51
El-Ghali, Nissrine; Rabadi, Maes; Ezin, Akouavi M et al. (2010) New methods for chicken embryo manipulations. Microsc Res Tech 73:58-66
Rotenstein, Lisa; Milanes, Anthony; Juarez, Marilyn et al. (2009) Embryonic development of glial cells and myelin in the shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum. Gene Expr Patterns 9:572-85