Neural crest cells migrate extensively during development. This invasive behavior is spatially and temporally precise, and the cells eventually form such diverse derivatives as: pigment cells, sensory and autonomic ganglia, teeth and the cranial connective tissues. Changes in distribution and composition of the extracellular matrix and the presence or absence of cell associated proteins on the crest cells may be related to the onset of neural crest cell movement and to the control of the pattern, pathway, and direction of their migration. There are a number of mutant mouse strains which are deficient in neural crest cell migration and differentiation and express such abnormalities as loss of pigmentation, cranial-facial lesions and absence of sensory and autonomic ganglia. I plan to test the role of the extracellular matrix and cell surface glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans in the control of neural crest cell migration by 1) correlating these factors with normal crest morphogenetic events and 2) comparing changes in these factors with concomitant morphogenetic events in mutant mice.
