Gene Expression Profiling of Neural Crest Cells and Developing Schwann Cells

Gene Expression Profiling of Neural Crest Cells and Developing Schwann Cells PDF Author: Johanna Buchstaller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Gene Expression Profiling of Neural Crest Cells and Developing Schwann Cells

Gene Expression Profiling of Neural Crest Cells and Developing Schwann Cells PDF Author: Johanna Buchstaller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description


Transcriptional Control of Neural Crest Development

Transcriptional Control of Neural Crest Development PDF Author: Brian L. Nelms
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
ISBN: 161504048X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
The neural crest is a remarkable embryonic population of cells found only in vertebrates and has the potential to give rise to many different cell types contributing throughout the body. These derivatives range from the mesenchymal bone and cartilage comprising the facial skeleton, to neuronal derivatives of the peripheral sensory and autonomic nervous systems, to melanocytes throughout the body, and to smooth muscle of the great arteries of the heart. For these cells to correctly progress from an unspecifi ed, nonmigratory population to a wide array of dynamic, differentiated cell types-some of which retain stem cell characteristics presumably to replenish these derivatives-requires a complex network of molecular switches to control the gene programs giving these cells their defi ning structural, enzymatic, migratory, and signaling capacities. This review will bring together current knowledge of neural crest-specifi c transcription factors governing these progressions throughout the course of development. A more thorough understanding of the mechanisms of transcriptional control in differentiation will aid in strategies designed to push undifferentiated cells toward a particular lineage, and unraveling these processes will help toward reprogramming cells from a differentiated to a more naive state. Table of Contents: Introduction / AP Genes / bHLH Genes / ETS Genes / Fox Genes / Homeobox Genes / Hox Genes / Lim Genes / Pax Genes / POU Domain Genes / RAR/RXR Genes / Smad Genes / Sox Genes / Zinc Finger Genes / Other Miscellaneous Genes / References / Author Biographies

Neural Crest Stem Cells

Neural Crest Stem Cells PDF Author: Maya Sieber-Blum
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814343803
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Offers readers an understanding of the development of neural crest cells, which is crucial as many birth defects and tumours are of neural crest origin. Delving into stem cells from different locations of the body, this book explores the best possible source of such cells for the use in medical applications.

The Neural Crest

The Neural Crest PDF Author: Nicole Le Douarin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521620109
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 494

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Book Description
This 1999 edition of The Neural Crest contains comprehensive information about the neural crest, a structure unique to the vertebrate embryo, which has only a transient existence in early embryonic life. The ontogeny of the neural crest embodies the most important issues in developmental biology, as the neural crest is considered to have played a crucial role in evolution of the vertebrate phylum. Data that analyse neural crest ontogeny in murine and zebrafish embryos have been included in this revision. This revised edition also takes advantage of recent advances in our understanding of markers of neural crest cell subpopulations, and a full chapter is now devoted to cell lineage analysis. The major research breakthrough since the first edition has been the introduction of molecular biology to neural crest research, enabling an elucidation of many molecular mechanisms of neural crest development. This book is essential reading for students and researchers in developmental biology, cell biology, and neuroscience.

From Schwann Cells to Melanoma

From Schwann Cells to Melanoma PDF Author: Rebecca Lynn Cunningham
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
Neural crest cells (NCCs) possess the unique potential to give rise to a great variety of cell types within vertebrates. Proper NCC development is critical for survival, thus defects in specification and differentiation result in a range of neurocristopathies, which can severely impact human health. This dissertation focuses on the development and diseases of two NCC-derived cell types: Schwann cells and melanocytes. Schwann cells are the myelinating glia of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Myelin, a lipid-rich, multi-membrane structure, is necessary for the efficient function and health of the jawed vertebrate nervous system. The importance of myelin in human health is underscored by debilitating neuropathies like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Melanocytes are pigment producing cells that provide protection from deleterious UV-induced DNA damage, and positioning of melanocytes in the skin results in the wide array of pigmentation patterns among vertebrates. Failure of proper melanocyte development can lead to skin pigmentation diseases, such as Waardenburg-Shah syndrome. Additionally, inappropriate reactivation of developmental programs in melanocytes can contribute to melanoma skin cancer. The study of the development and disease of both Schwann cells and melanocytes has been greatly facilitated by the power of the zebrafish model. Chapter 1 details the common developmental origins of Schwann cells and melanocytes from the neural crest and introduces key experimental features of zebrafish used in this dissertation.Chapter 2 documents published work that examines a peripheral myelin mutant, dock1stl145, identified from a large-scale forward genetic screen in zebrafish designed to identify novel regulators of myelination. dock1 encodes a highly conserved atypical guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates Rac1, a Rho GTPase that is necessary for Schwann cell radial sorting and actin dynamics. The stl145 mutant contains an early stop codon in the Rac1 binding domain of Dock1. Therefore, we hypothesized that dock1 is necessary for proper radial sorting by Schwann cells and cytoskeletal dynamics. During radial sorting, Schwann cells extend processes into an axon bundle to select an axon to myelinate, requiring elaborate changes to cell shape. Once an axon is selected, a Schwann cell then extends its membrane to wrap the axon to form the myelin sheath. How these dramatic cell shape changes occur and how the actin cytoskeleton behaves in Schwann cells is still not well understood. We therefore utilized a series of dock1 mutants to better understand a potential intracellular regulator of the actin cytoskeleton in Schwann cells. Characterization of dock1 mutants revealed delays in mature myelin gene expression by whole mount in situ hybridization. Examination of the myelin ultrastructure using transmission electron microscopy found a reduction in the number of sorted and myelinated axons, indicative of radial sorting delays. We also performed the first in vivo live-imaging of the F-actin cytoskeleton in migrating Schwann cells, which did not reveal migration defects in mutant Schwann cells, suggesting that dock1 functions at the transition between when a Schwann cell stops migrating and begins radial sorting. These data inform our limited understanding of the role of GEFs during Schwann cell development and myelination.Chapter 3 investigates epigenetic regulators of melanocyte development and cancer of melanocytes, termed melanoma. Melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, continues to rise in incidence. Therefore, defining initiating steps of melanoma is of utmost significance. A critical step in melanoma initiation is the expression of a neural crest program, including upregulation of the neural crest transcription factor, Sox10. We hypothesize that epigenetic regulation of sox10 may be critical for re-establishing neural crest identity in melanoma initiation because of its vital role in NCC development and melanoma initiation and maintenance. Thus, using ATAC-seq analysis to profile open regions of chromatin in zebrafish melanoma tumors, we identified regulatory regions near the sox10 locus in zebrafish for a role in melanoma initiation. Activity of these sox10 putative enhancers in NCCs and melanoma was tested in a melanoma zebrafish model. Generation of stable transgenic lines for top candidate sox10 regulatory elements enabled further characterization of embryonic neural crest expression patterns and activity of these putative enhancer elements in melanoma. One element (termed peak5) derived from a region ~22.8 kb upstream of the sox10 transcriptional start site drives EGFP reporter expression in a subset of embryonic neural crest and Kolmer-Agduhr neurons, as well as specifically in early melanoma precursor lesions and tumors. Within peak5, we identified a region conserved across members of the Cyprinidae family (a family of freshwater fish) that is required for peak5 neural crest activity, and hypothesize it may function as a critical enhancer in driving sox10 expression during melanomagenesis. Within this conserved region, dimeric SoxE binding sites are necessary for peak5 activity. To test the endogenous function of peak5 in melanoma initiation, we generated several CRISPR-mediated deletion alleles, which we continue to analyze. Together, these data enhance our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms that drive the re-emergence of neural crest identity in melanoma.Collectively, this dissertation harnesses the power of the zebrafish model to deepen our understanding of Schwann cell development and melanocyte development and disease. While Schwann cells and melanocytes are derived from a common precursor, the studies within this dissertation highlight how the unique traits and functions of neural crest derived cells are influenced by both intracellular proteins and cis»-regulators in the genome. Understanding how coding and non-coding regions of the genome guide NCC development and contribute to the malfunction of neural crest derived cells in disease can provide a basic foundation to inform treatment of human neurocristopathies.

Neural Crest and Placodes

Neural Crest and Placodes PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0124078907
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 573

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Book Description
Neural Crest and Placodes provides in-depth coverage of the topic, including information on their critical role in vertebrate development, evolution, and the way defects in their development underlie a wide range of congenital disorders. It delves deep into advances made in our understanding of the mechanisms governing the formation, migration, and differentiation of these two cell populations, also discussing their integration during embryonic development. The text highlights the application of fundamental knowledge in investigating the etiology and pathogenesis of congenital disorders and the ways the data applies to the field of regenerative medicine. Written by leading experts in the field Includes descriptions of the most recent advances in the field Highlights the applications of this knowledge in investigating the etiology and pathogenesis of congenital disorders Explores their usage in the field of regenerative medicine

The Enteric Nervous System

The Enteric Nervous System PDF Author: John Barton Furness
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description


The Neural Crest in Development and Evolution

The Neural Crest in Development and Evolution PDF Author: Brian K. Hall
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1475730640
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
A discussion of the neural crest and neural crest cells, dealing with their discovery, their embryological and evolutionary origins, their cellular derivatives - in both agnathan and jawed vertebrates or gnathostomes - and the broad topics of migration and differentiation in normal development. The book also considers what goes wrong when development is misdirected by mutations, or by exposure of embryos to exogenous agents such as drugs, alcohol, or excess vitamin A, and includes discussions of tumours and syndromes and birth defects involving neural crest cells.

Enteric Glia

Enteric Glia PDF Author: Brian D. Gulbransen
Publisher: Biota Publishing
ISBN: 1615046615
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a complex neural network embedded in the gut wall that orchestrates the reflex behaviors of the intestine. The ENS is often referred to as the “little brain” in the gut because the ENS is more similar in size, complexity and autonomy to the central nervous system (CNS) than other components of the autonomic nervous system. Like the brain, the ENS is composed of neurons that are surrounded by glial cells. Enteric glia are a unique type of peripheral glia that are similar to astrocytes of the CNS. Yet enteric glial cells also differ from astrocytes in many important ways. The roles of enteric glial cell populations in the gut are beginning to come to light and recent evidence implicates enteric glia in almost every aspect of gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology. However, elucidating the exact mechanisms by which enteric glia influence gastrointestinal physiology and identifying how those roles are altered during gastrointestinal pathophysiology remain areas of intense research. The purpose of this e-book is to provide an introduction to enteric glial cells and to act as a resource for ongoing studies on this fascinating population of glia. Table of Contents: Introduction / A Historical Perspective on Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia: The Astroglia of the Gut / Molecular Composition of Enteric Glia / Development of Enteric Glia / Functional Roles of Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia and Disease Processes in the Gut / Concluding Remarks / References / Author Biography

Development of the Autonomic Nervous System

Development of the Autonomic Nervous System PDF Author: Katherine Elliott
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 047071834X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
The Novartis Foundation Series is a popular collection of the proceedings from Novartis Foundation Symposia, in which groups of leading scientists from a range of topics across biology, chemistry and medicine assembled to present papers and discuss results. The Novartis Foundation, originally known as the Ciba Foundation, is well known to scientists and clinicians around the world.