The vertebrate head is characterized by a complex craniofacial skeleton and paired sensory organs. These structures are derived from two adjacent embryonic cell populations, the neural crest and cranial placodes. The neural crest contributes to the craniofacial skeleton and a subset of cranial ganglia, while cranial placodes form the anterior pituitary, optic lens, inner ear, olfactory epithelium and several cranial ganglia. Defects in cranial neural crest and placode development can cause a wide array of human congenital malformations ranging from craniofacial disorders to hormone imbalance and sensory deficits.
Throughout head development, reciprocal interactions between neural crest and placode cells are essential to drive the coordinated morphogenesis of multiple craniofacial structures. For this Research Topic in Frontiers in Physiology, we welcome contributions that analyze at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels the role of the neural crest and cranial placodes in craniofacial development, and discuss the importance of their interactions for organizing the orofacial complex. Reviews, research articles and opinion pieces are accepted.
The vertebrate head is characterized by a complex craniofacial skeleton and paired sensory organs. These structures are derived from two adjacent embryonic cell populations, the neural crest and cranial placodes. The neural crest contributes to the craniofacial skeleton and a subset of cranial ganglia, while cranial placodes form the anterior pituitary, optic lens, inner ear, olfactory epithelium and several cranial ganglia. Defects in cranial neural crest and placode development can cause a wide array of human congenital malformations ranging from craniofacial disorders to hormone imbalance and sensory deficits.
Throughout head development, reciprocal interactions between neural crest and placode cells are essential to drive the coordinated morphogenesis of multiple craniofacial structures. For this Research Topic in Frontiers in Physiology, we welcome contributions that analyze at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels the role of the neural crest and cranial placodes in craniofacial development, and discuss the importance of their interactions for organizing the orofacial complex. Reviews, research articles and opinion pieces are accepted.