Fig. 2. Overexpression of N-cadherin inhibits NC delamination. (A,C,E) Electroporation of control-GFP. (A) Segmentally migrating labeled NC (arrows) in whole-mounts. (C) Early delaminating NC (arrows) opposite a dissociating somite (S) in transverse section. (E) GFP-labeled mesenchymal NC cells emigrate from NT explants along with unlabeled progenitors evident with phase contrast optics. (B,D,F) Electroporation of full-length N-cadherin. No NC delamination occurs in whole-mounts (B), in sections opposite an already dissociated somite (D), or from NT explants (F). Note that unlabeled cells emigrate normally, yet transfected cells round up as in vivo, with no evidence of cell death (F and data not shown). (G,H) Control and N-cadherin-treated embryos, respectively, fixed 35 hours after transfection when peripheral ganglia are already coalesced. (G) Note the presence of GFP+ cells (arrows, green) that colonize the HNK-1+ DRG and SG (red). (H) By contrast, N-cadherin+ cells remain in the dorsal NT where they express ectopic HNK-1 (arrow). n=6 for each treatment. Abbreviations: DM, dermomyotome; DRG, dorsal root ganglion; NT, neural tube; S, somite; scl, sclerotome; SG, sympathetic ganglion. Scale bar: 28 µm for C,D; 55 µm for E,F; 25 µm for G,H.