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Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2)
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Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2)

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 11625

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Nicolas Pilon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Interests: developmental biology; neural crest cells; neurocristopathies; enteric nervous system; molecular genetics; mouse models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

This Special Issue follows the publication of the first volume on “Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease”, which presented more than 10 interesting papers.

There are several reasons why so many researchers remain fascinated by neural crest cells more than a century after their first description. One reason is the central role these vertebrate-specific cells played during evolution. A second is the unique ability of these cells to migrate over very long distances during a relatively short time window. A third reason is the multipotency of these cells, which is so extensive that the neural crest is even considered a germ layer on its own, just like the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Neural crest cells not only contribute a wide array of specialized cell types (e.g., neurons, glia, melanocytes, neuroendocrine cells, craniofacial osteoblasts, and vascular smooth muscle cells), but can also indirectly affect tissue morphogenesis by influencing the behavior and/or function of adjacent non-neural crest cells. A fourth reason is the apparent propensity of some neural crest cells to persist as tissue-resident stem cells in many adult tissues. A fifth reason is their involvement in a large number of human diseases, collectively referred to as neurocristopathies, an expanding research field that now benefits from decades of fundamental research on neural crest development.

The main objective of this Special Issue entitled “Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease” is to gather biologists from all backgrounds with a common interest in the fascinating neural crest cells. There is no particular limitation to the type of manuscripts or research questions (a list of potential topics is provided in the Keywords section below).

Prof. Dr. Nicolas Pilon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal models
  • cellular models
  • cell fate determination
  • cell metabolism
  • cell migration
  • cell signaling
  • disease modeling
  • evolution
  • gene–environment interactions
  • gene regulatory networks
  • neural-crest-related congenital malformations
  • neural-crest-related cancers
  • molecular genetics
  • molecular therapies
  • pathogenic mechanisms
  • stem-cell-based therapies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 11788 KiB  
Article
Essential Role of BMP4 Signaling in the Avian Ceca in Colorectal Enteric Nervous System Development
by Tamás Kovács, Viktória Halasy, Csongor Pethő, Emőke Szőcs, Ádám Soós, Dávid Dóra, Pascal de Santa Barbara, Sandrine Faure, Rhian Stavely, Allan M. Goldstein and Nándor Nagy
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115664 - 27 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1716
Abstract
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is principally derived from vagal neural crest cells that migrate caudally along the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract, giving rise to neurons and glial cells in two ganglionated plexuses. Incomplete migration of enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCDC) [...] Read more.
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is principally derived from vagal neural crest cells that migrate caudally along the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract, giving rise to neurons and glial cells in two ganglionated plexuses. Incomplete migration of enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCDC) leads to Hirschsprung disease, a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of enteric ganglia along variable lengths of the colorectum. Our previous work strongly supported the essential role of the avian ceca, present at the junction of the midgut and hindgut, in hindgut ENS development, since ablation of the cecal buds led to incomplete ENCDC colonization of the hindgut. In situ hybridization shows bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) is highly expressed in the cecal mesenchyme, leading us to hypothesize that cecal BMP4 is required for hindgut ENS development. To test this, we modulated BMP4 activity using embryonic intestinal organ culture techniques and retroviral infection. We show that overexpression or inhibition of BMP4 in the ceca disrupts hindgut ENS development, with GDNF playing an important regulatory role. Our results suggest that these two important signaling pathways are required for normal ENCDC migration and enteric ganglion formation in the developing hindgut ENS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2))
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17 pages, 14562 KiB  
Article
The Germinal Origin of Salivary and Lacrimal Glands and the Contributions of Neural Crest Cell-Derived Epithelium to Tissue Regeneration
by Hitomi Ono-Minagi, Tsutomu Nohno, Takashi Serizawa, Yu Usami, Takayoshi Sakai, Hideyuki Okano and Hideyo Ohuchi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13692; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813692 - 5 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3217
Abstract
The vertebrate body comprises four distinct cell populations: cells derived from (1) ectoderm, (2) mesoderm, (3) endoderm, and (4) neural crest cells, often referred to as the fourth germ layer. Neural crest cells arise when the neural plate edges fuse to form a [...] Read more.
The vertebrate body comprises four distinct cell populations: cells derived from (1) ectoderm, (2) mesoderm, (3) endoderm, and (4) neural crest cells, often referred to as the fourth germ layer. Neural crest cells arise when the neural plate edges fuse to form a neural tube, which eventually develops into the brain and spinal cord. To date, the embryonic origin of exocrine glands located in the head and neck remains under debate. In this study, transgenic TRiCK mice were used to investigate the germinal origin of the salivary and lacrimal glands. TRiCK mice express fluorescent proteins under the regulatory control of Sox1, T/Brachyury, and Sox17 gene expressions. These genes are representative marker genes for neuroectoderm (Sox1), mesoderm (T), and endoderm (Sox17). Using this approach, the cellular lineages of the salivary and lacrimal glands were examined. We demonstrate that the salivary and lacrimal glands contain cells derived from all three germ layers. Notably, a subset of Sox1-driven fluorescent cells differentiated into epithelial cells, implying their neural crest origin. Also, these Sox1-driven fluorescent cells expressed high levels of stem cell markers. These cells were particularly pronounced in duct ligation and wound damage models, suggesting the involvement of neural crest-derived epithelial cells in regenerative processes following tissue injury. This study provides compelling evidence clarifying the germinal origin of exocrine glands and the contribution of neural crest-derived cells within the glandular epithelium to the regenerative response following tissue damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2))
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Review

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17 pages, 1189 KiB  
Review
Harnessing the Power of Enteric Glial Cells’ Plasticity and Multipotency for Advancing Regenerative Medicine
by Marie A. Lefèvre, Rodolphe Soret and Nicolas Pilon
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512475 - 5 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2563
Abstract
The enteric nervous system (ENS), known as the intrinsic nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract, is composed of a diverse array of neuronal and glial cell subtypes. Fascinating questions surrounding the generation of cellular diversity in the ENS have captivated ENS biologists for [...] Read more.
The enteric nervous system (ENS), known as the intrinsic nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract, is composed of a diverse array of neuronal and glial cell subtypes. Fascinating questions surrounding the generation of cellular diversity in the ENS have captivated ENS biologists for a considerable time, particularly with recent advancements in cell type-specific transcriptomics at both population and single-cell levels. However, the current focus of research in this field is predominantly restricted to the study of enteric neuron subtypes, while the investigation of enteric glia subtypes significantly lags behind. Despite this, enteric glial cells (EGCs) are increasingly recognized as equally important regulators of numerous bowel functions. Moreover, a subset of postnatal EGCs exhibits remarkable plasticity and multipotency, distinguishing them as critical entities in the context of advancing regenerative medicine. In this review, we aim to provide an updated overview of the current knowledge on this subject, while also identifying key questions that necessitate future exploration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2))
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20 pages, 6102 KiB  
Review
The Emerging Roles of the Cephalic Neural Crest in Brain Development and Developmental Encephalopathies
by Emmanuel Bruet, Diego Amarante-Silva, Tatiana Gorojankina and Sophie Creuzet
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 9844; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129844 - 7 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3292
Abstract
The neural crest, a unique cell population originating from the primitive neural field, has a multi-systemic and structural contribution to vertebrate development. At the cephalic level, the neural crest generates most of the skeletal tissues encasing the developing forebrain and provides the prosencephalon [...] Read more.
The neural crest, a unique cell population originating from the primitive neural field, has a multi-systemic and structural contribution to vertebrate development. At the cephalic level, the neural crest generates most of the skeletal tissues encasing the developing forebrain and provides the prosencephalon with functional vasculature and meninges. Over the last decade, we have demonstrated that the cephalic neural crest (CNC) exerts an autonomous and prominent control on the development of the forebrain and sense organs. The present paper reviews the primary mechanisms by which CNC can orchestrate vertebrate encephalization. Demonstrating the role of the CNC as an exogenous source of patterning for the forebrain provides a novel conceptual framework with profound implications for understanding neurodevelopment. From a biomedical standpoint, these data suggest that the spectrum of neurocristopathies is broader than expected and that some neurological disorders may stem from CNC dysfunctions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Crest Development in Health and Disease (Volume 2))
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