First published online September 15, 2003
Development 130, e2105 (2003)
Copyright © 2003 The Company of Biologists Limited
A crucial player in craniofacial development
Cranial neural crest (CNC) cells contribute extensively to structures of
the head and neck, including the palate and the calvaria (the upper part of
the cranium that surrounds the brain), but the regulation of CNC cell fate
during cranial development is not well understood. Members of the transforming
growth factor ß (TGFß) superfamily are believed to have important
regulatory roles during the development of the palate and calvaria. The
TGFß type II receptor (TGFßIIR) is expressed in CNC-derived cells
during palatogenesis, as well as in the CNC-derived dura mater, the dense
fibrous membrane that provides inductive signals to the developing calvaria.
By using a conditional mutant, Ito et al. (see
p. 5269) show that
loss of Tgfbr2 expression in CNC cells results in palatal and
calvaria defects caused by a lack of cell proliferation in CNC-derivatives of
the palatal mesenchyme and dura mater. Intriguingly, the expression patterns
of the transcription factor Msx1 and cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 are
abnormal in Tgfbr2 conditional mutants, raising the possibility that
TGFß signalling interacts with these to control CNC cell
proliferation.
Related articles in Development:
- Conditional inactivation of Tgfbr2 in cranial neural crest causes cleft palate and calvaria defects
- Yoshihiro Ito, Jae Yong Yeo, Anna Chytil, Jun Han, Pablo Bringas, Jr, Akira Nakajima, Charles F. Shuler, Harold L. Moses, and Yang Chai
Development 2003 130: 5269-5280.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
