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REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Morphogenesis and Patterning
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1457506
This article is part of the Research Topic De Novo Cell Polarity Establishment in Development and Disease View all 3 articles

Polarity and Migration of Cranial and Cardiac Neural Crest Cells: Underlying Molecular Mechanisms and Disease Implications

Provisionally accepted
Esteban Salinas Esteban Salinas 1Francis Ruano-Rivadeneira Francis Ruano-Rivadeneira 2Juan Ignacio Leal Juan Ignacio Leal 3Marcela Torrejón Marcela Torrejón 3*Cecilia Arriagada Cecilia Arriagada 1*
  • 1 Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile
  • 2 School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
  • 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Concepcion., Concepcion, VIII Biobío Region, Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The Neural Crest cells are multipotent progenitor cells formed at the neural plate border that differentiate and give rise to a wide range of cell types and organs. Directional migration of NC cells and their correct positioning at target sites are essential during embryonic development, and defects in these processes results in congenital diseases. The NC migration begins with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix remodeling. The main cellular mechanisms that sustain this migration include contact inhibition of locomotion, co-attraction, chemotaxis and mechanical cues from the surrounding environment, all regulated by proteins that orchestrate cell polarity and motility. In this review we highlight the molecular mechanisms involved in neural crest cell migration and polarity, focusing on the role of small GTPases, Heterotrimeric G proteins and planar cell polarity complex. Here, we also discuss different congenital diseases caused by altered NC cell migration.

    Keywords: Neural crest (NC), Cell Polarity, cell migration, neural crest disorder, Cell signaling

    Received: 30 Jun 2024; Accepted: 04 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Salinas, Ruano-Rivadeneira, Leal, Torrejón and Arriagada. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Marcela Torrejón, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Concepcion., Concepcion, 3580000, VIII Biobío Region, Chile
    Cecilia Arriagada, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.