Central role of gene cooption in neural crest evolution

Limb Mesoderm and Head Ectomesenchyme Both Express a Core Transcriptional Program During Chondrocyte Differentiation

To explain how cartilage appeared in different parts of the vertebrate body at discrete times during evolution, we hypothesize that different embryonic populations co-opted expression of a core gene regulatory network (GRN) driving chondrocyte differentiation. To test this hypothesis, laser-capture microdissection coupled with RNA-seq was used to reveal chondrocyte transcriptomes in the developing chick humerus and ceratobranchial, which are mesoderm- and neural crest-derived, respectively. During endochondral ossification, two general types of chondrocytes differentiate. Immature chondrocytes (IMM) represent the early stages of cartilage differentiation, while mature chondrocytes (MAT) undergo additional stages of differentiation, including hypertrophy and stimulating matrix mineralization and degradation. Venn diagram analyses generally revealed a high degree of conservation between chondrocyte transcriptomes of the limb and head, including SOX9, COL2A1, and ACAN expression. Typical maturation genes, such as COL10A1, IBSP, and SPP1, were upregulated in MAT compared to IMM in both limb and head chondrocytes. Gene co-expression network (GCN) analyses of limb and head chondrocyte transcriptomes estimated the core GRN governing cartilage differentiation. Two discrete portions of the GCN contained genes that were differentially expressed in limb or head chondrocytes, but these genes were enriched for biological processes related to limb/forelimb morphogenesis or neural crest-dependent processes, respectively, perhaps simply reflecting the embryonic origin of the cells. A core GRN driving cartilage differentiation in limb and head was revealed that included typical chondrocyte differentiation and maturation markers, as well as putative novel "chondrocyte" genes. Conservation of a core transcriptional program during chondrocyte differentiation in both the limb and head suggest that the same core GRN was co-opted when cartilage appeared in different regions of the skeleton during vertebrate evolution.

Lamprey lecticans link new vertebrate genes to the origin and elaboration of vertebrate tissues

The evolution of vertebrates from an invertebrate chordate ancestor involved the evolution of new organs, tissues, and cell types. It was also marked by the origin and duplication of new gene families. If, and how, these morphological and genetic innovations are related is an unresolved question in vertebrate evolution. Hyaluronan is an extracellular matrix (ECM) polysaccharide important for water homeostasis and tissue structure. Vertebrates possess a novel family of hyaluronan binding proteins called Lecticans, and studies in jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes) have shown they function in many of the cells and tissues that are unique to vertebrates. This raises the possibility that the origin and/or expansion of this gene family helped drive the evolution of these vertebrate novelties. In order to better understand the evolution of the lectican gene family, and its role in the evolution of vertebrate morphological novelties, we investigated the phylogeny, genomic arrangement, and expression patterns of all lecticans in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a jawless vertebrate. Though both P. marinus and gnathostomes each have four lecticans, our phylogenetic and syntenic analyses are most consistent with the independent duplication of one of more lecticans in the lamprey lineage. Despite the likely independent expansion of the lamprey and gnathostome lectican families, we find highly conserved expression of lecticans in vertebrate-specific and mesenchyme-derived tissues. We also find that, unlike gnathostomes, lamprey expresses its lectican paralogs in distinct subpopulations of head skeleton precursors, potentially reflecting an ancestral diversity of skeletal tissue types. Together, these observations suggest that the ancestral pre-duplication lectican had a complex expression pattern, functioned to support mesenchymal histology, and likely played a role in the evolution of vertebrate-specific cell and tissue types.

Evolution of new cell types at the lateral neural border

During the course of evolution, animals have become increasingly complex by the addition of novel cell types and regulatory mechanisms. A prime example is represented by the lateral neural border, known as the neural plate border in vertebrates, a region of the developing ectoderm where presumptive neural and non-neural tissue meet. This region has been intensively studied as the source of two important embryonic cell types unique to vertebrates-the neural crest and the ectodermal placodes-which contribute to diverse differentiated cell types including the peripheral nervous system, pigment cells, bone, and cartilage. How did these multipotent progenitors originate in animal evolution? What triggered the elaboration of the border during the course of chordate evolution? How is the lateral neural border patterned in various bilaterians and what is its fate? Here, we review and compare the development and fate of the lateral neural border in vertebrates and invertebrates and we speculate about its evolutionary origin. Taken together, the data suggest that the lateral neural border existed in bilaterian ancestors prior to the origin of vertebrates and became a developmental source of exquisite evolutionary change that frequently enabled the acquisition of new cell types.

The Skull's Girder: A Brief Review of the Cranial Base

The cranial base is a multifunctional bony platform within the core of the cranium, spanning rostral to caudal ends. This structure provides support for the brain and skull vault above, serves as a link between the head and the vertebral column below, and seamlessly integrates with the facial skeleton at its rostral end. Unique from the majority of the cranial skeleton, the cranial base develops from a cartilage intermediate-the chondrocranium-through the process of endochondral ossification. Owing to the intimate association of the cranial base with nearly all aspects of the head, congenital birth defects impacting these structures often coincide with anomalies of the cranial base. Despite this critical importance, studies investigating the genetic control of cranial base development and associated disorders lags in comparison to other craniofacial structures. Here, we highlight and review developmental and genetic aspects of the cranial base, including its transition from cartilage to bone, dual embryological origins, and vignettes of transcription factors controlling its formation.

Evolution of Snail-mediated regulation of neural crest and placodes from an ancient role in bilaterian neurogenesis

A major challenge in vertebrate evolution is to identify the gene regulatory mechanisms that facilitated the origin of neural crest cells and placodes from ancestral precursors in invertebrates. Here, we show in lamprey, a primitively jawless vertebrate, that the transcription factor Snail is expressed simultaneously throughout the neural plate, neural plate border, and pre-placodal ectoderm in the early embryo and is then upregulated in the CNS throughout neurogenesis. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, we demonstrate that Snail plays functional roles in all of these embryonic domains or their derivatives. We first show that Snail patterns the neural plate border by repressing lateral expansion of Pax3/7 and activating nMyc and ZicA. We also present evidence that Snail is essential for DlxB-mediated establishment of the pre-placodal ectoderm but is not required for SoxB1a expression during formation of the neural plate proper. At later stages, Snail regulates formation of neural crest-derived and placode-derived PNS neurons and controls CNS neural differentiation in part by promoting cell survival. Taken together with established functions of invertebrate Snail genes, we identify a pan-bilaterian mechanism that extends to jawless vertebrates for regulating neurogenesis that is dependent on Snail transcription factors. We propose that ancestral vertebrates deployed an evolutionarily conserved Snail expression domain in the CNS and PNS for neurogenesis and then acquired derived functions in neural crest and placode development by recruitment of regulatory genes downstream of neuroectodermal Snail activity. Our results suggest that Snail regulatory mechanisms in vertebrate novelties such as the neural crest and placodes may have emerged from neurogenic roles that originated early in bilaterian evolution.

Specifying neural crest cells: From chromatin to morphogens and factors in between

Neural crest (NC) cells are a stem-like multipotent population of progenitor cells that are present in vertebrate embryos, traveling to various regions in the developing organism. Known as the "fourth germ layer," these cells originate in the ectoderm between the neural plate (NP), which will become the brain and spinal cord, and nonneural tissues that will become the skin and the sensory organs. NC cells can differentiate into more than 30 different derivatives in response to the appropriate signals including, but not limited to, craniofacial bone and cartilage, sensory nerves and ganglia, pigment cells, and connective tissue. The molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the induction and specification of NC cells include epigenetic control, multiple interactive and redundant transcriptional pathways, secreted signaling molecules, and adhesion molecules. NC cells are important not only because they transform into a wide variety of tissue types, but also because their ability to detach from their epithelial neighbors and migrate throughout developing embryos utilizes mechanisms similar to those used by metastatic cancer cells. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms required for the induction and specification of NC cells in various vertebrate species, focusing on the roles of early morphogenesis, cell adhesion, signaling from adjacent tissues, and the massive transcriptional network that controls the formation of these amazing cells. This article is categorized under: Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Regulatory Mechanisms Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Gene Networks and Genomics Signaling Pathways > Cell Fate Signaling.

The hedgehog pathway and ocular developmental anomalies

Mutations in effectors of the hedgehog signaling pathway are responsible for a wide variety of ocular developmental anomalies. These range from massive malformations of the brain and ocular primordia, not always compatible with postnatal life, to subtle but damaging functional effects on specific eye components. This review will concentrate on the effects and effectors of the major vertebrate hedgehog ligand for eye and brain formation, Sonic hedgehog (SHH), in tissues that constitute the eye directly and also in those tissues that exert indirect influence on eye formation. After a brief overview of human eye development, the many roles of the SHH signaling pathway during both early and later morphogenetic processes in the brain and then eye and periocular primordia will be evoked. Some of the unique molecular biology of this pathway in vertebrates, particularly ciliary signal transduction, will also be broached within this developmental cellular context.

Pax3/7 duplicated and diverged independently in amphioxus, the basal chordate lineage

The Pax3/7 transcription factor family is integral to developmental gene networks contributing to important innovations in vertebrate evolution, including the neural crest. The basal chordate lineage of amphioxus is ideally placed to understand the dynamics of the gene regulatory network evolution that produced these novelties. We report here the discovery that the cephalochordate lineage possesses two Pax3/7 genes, Pax3/7a and Pax3/7b. The tandem duplication is ancestral to all extant amphioxus, occurring in both Asymmetron and Branchiostoma, but originated after the split from the lineage leading to vertebrates. The two paralogues are differentially expressed during embryonic development, particularly in neural and somitic tissues, suggesting distinct regulation. Our results have implications for the study of amphioxus regeneration, neural plate and crest evolution, and differential tandem paralogue evolution.

Neural crest and the origin of species-specific pattern

For well over half of the 150 years since the discovery of the neural crest, the special ability of these cells to function as a source of species-specific pattern has been clearly recognized. Initially, this observation arose in association with chimeric transplant experiments among differentially pigmented amphibians, where the neural crest origin for melanocytes had been duly noted. Shortly thereafter, the role of cranial neural crest cells in transmitting species-specific information on size and shape to the pharyngeal arch skeleton as well as in regulating the timing of its differentiation became readily apparent. Since then, what has emerged is a deeper understanding of how the neural crest accomplishes such a presumably difficult mission, and this includes a more complete picture of the molecular and cellular programs whereby neural crest shapes the face of each species. This review covers studies on a broad range of vertebrates and describes neural-crest-mediated mechanisms that endow the craniofacial complex with species-specific pattern. A major focus is on experiments in quail and duck embryos that reveal a hierarchy of cell-autonomous and non-autonomous signaling interactions through which neural crest generates species-specific pattern in the craniofacial integument, skeleton, and musculature. By controlling size and shape throughout the development of these systems, the neural crest underlies the structural and functional integration of the craniofacial complex during evolution.

Teleost Fish-Specific Preferential Retention of Pigmentation Gene-Containing Families After Whole Genome Duplications in Vertebrates

Vertebrate pigmentation is a highly diverse trait mainly determined by neural crest cell derivatives. It has been suggested that two rounds (1R/2R) of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) at the basis of vertebrates allowed changes in gene regulation associated with neural crest evolution. Subsequently, the teleost fish lineage experienced other WGDs, including the teleost-specific Ts3R before teleost radiation and the more recent Ss4R at the basis of salmonids. As the teleost lineage harbors the highest number of pigment cell types and pigmentation diversity in vertebrates, WGDs might have contributed to the evolution and diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in teleosts. We have compared the impact of the basal vertebrate 1R/2R duplications with that of the teleost-specific Ts3R and salmonid-specific Ss4R WGDs on 181 gene families containing genes involved in pigmentation. We show that pigmentation genes (PGs) have been globally more frequently retained as duplicates than other genes after Ts3R and Ss4R but not after the early 1R/2R. This is also true for non-pigmentary paralogs of PGs, suggesting that the function in pigmentation is not the sole key driver of gene retention after WGDs. On the long-term, specific categories of PGs have been repeatedly preferentially retained after ancient 1R/2R and Ts3R WGDs, possibly linked to the molecular nature of their proteins (e.g., DNA binding transcriptional regulators) and their central position in protein-protein interaction networks. Taken together, our results support a major role of WGDs in the diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in the teleost lineage, with a possible link with the diversity of pigment cell lineages observed in these animals compared to other vertebrates.

Lamprey neural crest migration is Snail-dependent and occurs without a differential shift in cadherin expression

The acquisition of neural crest cells was a key step in the origin of the vertebrate body plan. An outstanding question is how neural crest cells acquired their ability to undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrate extensively throughout the vertebrate embryo. We tested if differential regulation of classical cadherins-a highly conserved feature of neural crest EMT and migration in jawed vertebrates-mediates these cellular behaviors in lamprey, a basal jawless vertebrate. Lamprey has single copies of the type I and type II classical cadherins (CadIA and CadIIA). CadIIA is expressed in premigratory neural crest, and requires the transcription factor Snail for proper expression, yet CadIA is never expressed in the neural tube during neural crest development, suggesting that differential regulation of classical cadherin expression is not required to initiate neural crest migration in basal vertebrates. We hypothesize that neural crest cells evolved by retention of regulatory programs linking distinct mesenchymal and multipotency properties, and emigrated from the neural tube without differentially regulating type I/type II cadherins. Our results point to the coupling of mesenchymal state and multipotency as a key event facilitating the origin of migratory neural crest cells.

On the evolutionary relationship between chondrocytes and osteoblasts

Vertebrates are the only animals that produce bone, but the molecular genetic basis for this evolutionary novelty remains obscure. Here, we synthesize information from traditional evolutionary and modern molecular genetic studies in order to generate a working hypothesis on the evolution of the gene regulatory network (GRN) underlying bone formation. Since transcription factors are often core components of GRNs (i.e., kernels), we focus our analyses on Sox9 and Runx2. Our argument centers on three skeletal tissues that comprise the majority of the vertebrate skeleton: immature cartilage, mature cartilage, and bone. Immature cartilage is produced during early stages of cartilage differentiation and can persist into adulthood, whereas mature cartilage undergoes additional stages of differentiation, including hypertrophy and mineralization. Functionally, histologically, and embryologically, these three skeletal tissues are very similar, yet unique, suggesting that one might have evolved from another. Traditional studies of the fossil record, comparative anatomy and embryology demonstrate clearly that immature cartilage evolved before mature cartilage or bone. Modern molecular approaches show that the GRNs regulating differentiation of these three skeletal cell fates are similar, yet unique, just like the functional and histological features of the tissues themselves. Intriguingly, the Sox9 GRN driving cartilage formation appears to be dominant to the Runx2 GRN of bone. Emphasizing an embryological and evolutionary transcriptomic view, we hypothesize that the Runx2 GRN underlying bone formation was co-opted from mature cartilage. We discuss how modern molecular genetic experiments, such as comparative transcriptomics, can test this hypothesis directly, meanwhile permitting levels of constraint and adaptation to be evaluated quantitatively. Therefore, comparative transcriptomics may revolutionize understanding of not only the clade-specific evolution of skeletal cells, but also the generation of evolutionary novelties, providing a modern paradigm for the evolutionary process.

Evolution of vertebrates as viewed from the crest

The origin of vertebrates was accompanied by the advent of a novel cell type: the neural crest. Emerging from the central nervous system, these cells migrate to diverse locations and differentiate into numerous derivatives. By coupling morphological and gene regulatory information from vertebrates and other chordates, we describe how addition of the neural-crest-specification program may have enabled cells at the neural plate border to acquire multipotency and migratory ability. Analysis of the topology of the neural crest gene regulatory network can serve as a useful template for understanding vertebrate evolution, including elaboration of neural crest derivatives.

Neural crest cell evolution: how and when did a neural crest cell become a neural crest cell

As vertebrates evolved from protochordates, they shifted to a more predatory lifestyle, and radiated and adapted to most niches of the planet. This process was largely facilitated by the generation of novel vertebrate head structures, which were derived from neural crest cells (NCC). The neural crest is a unique vertebrate cell population that is frequently termed the "fourth germ layer" because it forms in conjunction with the other germ layers and contributes to a diverse array of cell types and tissues including the craniofacial skeleton, the peripheral nervous system, and pigment cells among many other tissues and cell types. NCC are defined by their origin at the neural plate border, via an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), together with multipotency and polarized patterns of migration. These defining characteristics, which evolved independently in the germ layers of invertebrates, were subsequently co-opted through their gene regulatory networks to form NCC in vertebrates. Moreover, recent data suggest that the ability to undergo an EMT was one of the latter features co-opted by NCC. In this review, we discuss the potential origins of NCC and how they evolved to contribute to nearly all tissues and organs throughout the body, based on paleontological evidence together with an evaluation of the evolution of molecules involved in NCC development and their migratory cell paths.

Repressed BMP signaling reactivates NKL homeobox gene MSX1 in a T-ALL subset

In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), several members of the NK-like (NKL) homeobox genes are aberrantly expressed. Here, we have analyzed the activity of NKL homeobox gene MSX1 using pediatric T-ALL in silico data, detecting overexpression in 11% of patients. Quantification of MSX1 transcripts in a panel of 24 T-ALL cell lines demonstrated overexpression in two examples. Comparative expression profiling indicated inhibition of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway, which was shown to inhibit MSX1 transcription. In the LOUCY cell line we identified conspicuous expression of CHRDL1 encoding a BMP inhibitor which mediated activation of MSX1. Promoter analyses demonstrated activation of CHRDL1 by oncogenic PITX1. Furthermore, knockdown and overexpression studies of hematopoietic transcription factors demonstrated that GATA2 and FOXC1 mediate activation and GATA3, LEF1, TAL1 and TOX repression of MSX1 transcription. Collectively, our findings suggest that MSX1 is physiologically restricted to lymphoid progenitors. The identification of deregulated BMP signaling may provide novel therapeutic options for the treatment of T-ALL.

The bristle patterning genes hairy and extramacrochaetae regulate the development of structures required for flight in Diptera

The distribution of sensory bristles on the thorax of Diptera (true flies) provides a useful model for the study of the evolution of spatial patterns. Large bristles called macrochaetes are arranged into species-specific stereotypical patterns determined via spatially discrete expression of the proneural genes achaete–scute (ac–sc). In Drosophila ac-sc expression is regulated by transcriptional activation at sites where bristle precursors develop and by repression outside of these sites. Three genes, extramacrochaetae (emc), hairy (h) and stripe (sr), involved in repression have been documented. Here we demonstrate that in Drosophila, the repressor genes emc and h, like sr, play an essential role in the development of structures forming part of the flight apparatus. In addition we find that, in Calliphora vicina a species diverged from D. melanogaster by about 100 Myr, spatial expression of emc, h and sr is conserved at the location of development of those structures. Based on these findings we argue, first, that the role emc, h and sr in development of the flight apparatus preceded their activities for macrochaete patterning; second, that species-specific variation in activation and repression of ac-sc expression is evolving in parallel to establish a unique distribution of macrochaetes in each species.

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The distribution of sensory bristles is a useful model to study spatial patterns.

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In Drosophila melanogaster the genes emc, h and sr repress bristle formation.

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In D. melanogaster emc and h are essential for flight apparatus development.

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Notably, in Calliphora vicina emc, h and sr are expressed in the flight apparatus.

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We argue that emc, h and sr had an early role in flight apparatus development.

A novel N-terminal motif is responsible for the evolution of neural crest-specific gene-regulatory activity in vertebrate FoxD3

The neural crest is unique to vertebrates and has allowed the evolution of their complicated craniofacial structures. During vertebrate evolution, the acquisition of the neural crest must have been accompanied by the emergence of a new gene regulatory network (GRN). Here, to investigate the role of protein evolution in the emergence of the neural crest GRN, we examined the neural crest cell (NCC) differentiation-inducing activity of chordate FoxD genes. Amphioxus and vertebrate (Xenopus) FoxD proteins both exhibited transcriptional repressor activity in Gal4 transactivation assays and bound to similar DNA sequences in vitro. However, whereas vertebrate FoxD3 genes induced the differentiation of ectopic NCCs when overexpressed in chick neural tube, neither amphioxus FoxD nor any other vertebrate FoxD paralogs exhibited this activity. Experiments using chimeric proteins showed that the N-terminal portion of the vertebrate FoxD3 protein is critical to its NCC differentiation-inducing activity. Furthermore, replacement of the N-terminus of amphioxus FoxD with a 39-amino-acid segment from zebrafish FoxD3 conferred neural crest-inducing activity on amphioxus FoxD or zebrafish FoxD1. Therefore, fixation of this N-terminal amino acid sequence may have been crucial in the evolutionary recruitment of FoxD3 to the vertebrate neural crest GRN.

Gene regulatory evolution and the origin of macroevolutionary novelties: insights from the neural crest

The appearance of novel anatomic structures during evolution is driven by changes to the networks of transcription factors, signaling pathways, and downstream effector genes controlling development. The nature of the changes to these developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is poorly understood. A striking test case is the evolution of the GRN controlling development of the neural crest (NC). NC cells emerge from the neural plate border (NPB) and contribute to multiple adult structures. While all chordates have a NPB, only in vertebrates do NPB cells express all the genes constituting the neural crest GRN (NC-GRN). Interestingly, invertebrate chordates express orthologs of NC-GRN components in other tissues, revealing that during vertebrate evolution new regulatory connections emerged between transcription factors primitively expressed in the NPB and genes primitively expressed in other tissues. Such interactions could have evolved by two mechanisms. First, transcription factors primitively expressed in the NPB may have evolved new DNA and/or cofactor binding properties (protein neofunctionalization). Alternately, cis-regulatory elements driving NPB expression may have evolved near genes primitively expressed in other tissues (cis-regulatory neofunctionalization). Here we discuss how gene duplication can, in principle, promote either form of neofunctionalization. We review recent published examples of interspecies gene-swap, or regulatory-element-swap, experiments that test both models. Such experiments have yielded little evidence to support the importance of protein neofunctionalization in the emergence of the NC-GRN, but do support the importance of novel cis-regulatory elements in this process. The NC-GRN is an excellent model for the study of gene regulatory and macroevolutionary innovation.

FGF signaling transforms non-neural ectoderm into neural crest

The neural crest arises at the border between the neural plate and the adjacent non-neural ectoderm. It has been suggested that both neural and non-neural ectoderm can contribute to the neural crest. Several studies have examined the molecular mechanisms that regulate neural crest induction in neuralized tissues or the neural plate border. Here, using the chick as a model system, we address the molecular mechanisms by which non-neural ectoderm generates neural crest. We report that in response to FGF the non-neural ectoderm can ectopically express several early neural crest markers (Pax7, Msx1, Dlx5, Sox9, FoxD3, Snail2, and Sox10). Importantly this response to FGF signaling can occur without inducing ectopic mesodermal tissues. Furthermore, the non-neural ectoderm responds to FGF by expressing the prospective neural marker Sox3, but it does not express definitive markers of neural or anterior neural (Sox2 and Otx2) tissues. These results suggest that the non-neural ectoderm can launch the neural crest program in the absence of mesoderm, without acquiring definitive neural character. Finally, we report that prior to the upregulation of these neural crest markers, the non-neural ectoderm upregulates both BMP and Wnt molecules in response to FGF. Our results provide the first effort to understand the molecular events leading to neural crest development via the non-neural ectoderm in amniotes and present a distinct response to FGF signaling.

The evolution of the neural crest: new perspectives from lamprey and invertebrate neural crest-like cells

The neural crest is an embryonic cell population that gives rise to an array of tissues and structures in adult vertebrates including most of the head skeleton. Because neural crest cells (NCCs), and many of their derivatives, are unique to vertebrates, the evolution of the neural crest is thought to have potentiated vertebrate origins and diversification. However, the lack of clear NCC homologs in invertebrate chordates has made it difficult to reconstruct the evolutionary history of modern NCCs. In this review, the development of NCCs in the basal jawless vertebrate, lamprey, is compared with the development of neural crest-like cells in a range of invertebrates to deduce features of the first NCCs and their evolutionary precursors. These comparisons demonstrate that most of the defining attributes of NCCs are widespread features of invertebrate embryonic ectoderm. In addition, they suggest ancient origins for the neural border domain and chondroid skeletal tissue in the first bilaterian, and show that NCCs must have evolved in a chordate with an unduplicated invertebrate-type genome. On the basis of these observations, a stepwise model for the evolution of NCCs involving heterotopic and heterochronic activation of ancient ectodermal gene programs and new responsiveness to preexisting inducing signals is proposed. In light of the phylogenetic distribution of neural crest-like cells, the deep homology of developmental gene networks, and the central role of evolutionary loss in deuterostome evolution, this article concludes with suggestions for future studies in a broad range of bilaterians to test key aspects of this model. WIREs Dev Biol 2013, 2:1-15. doi: 10.1002/wdev.85 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Homology, homoplasy, novelty, and behavior

Richard Owen coined the modern definition of homology in 1843. Owen's conception of homology was pre-evolutionary, nontransformative (homology maintained basic plans or archetypes), and applied to the fully formed structures of animals. I sketch out the transition to an evolutionary approach to homology in which all classes of similarity are interpreted against the single branching tree of life, and outline the evidence for the application of homology across all levels and features of the biological hierarchy, including behavior. Owen contrasted homology with analogy. While this is not incorrect it is a pre-evolutionary contrast. Lankester [Lankester [1870] Journal of Natural History, 6 (31), 34-43] proposed homoplasy as the class of homology applicable to features formed by independent evolution. Today we identify homology, convergence, parallelism, and novelties as patterns of evolutionary change. A central issue in homology [Owen [1843] Lectures on comparative anatomy and physiology of the invertebrate animals, delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons in 1843. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans] has been whether homology of features-the "same" portion of the brain in different species, for example-depends upon those features sharing common developmental pathways. Owen did not require this criterion, although he observed that homologues often do share developmental pathways (and we now know, often share gene pathways). A similar situation has been explored in the study of behavior, especially whether behaviors must share a common structural, developmental, neural, or genetic basis to be classified as homologous. However, and importantly, development and genes evolve. As shown with both theory and examples, morphological and behavioral features of the phenotype can be homologized as structural or behavioral homologues, respectively, even when their developmental or genetic bases differ (are not homologous).

Novel Tfap2-mediated control of soxE expression facilitated the evolutionary emergence of the neural crest

Gene duplication has been proposed to drive the evolution of novel morphologies. After gene duplication, it is unclear whether changes in the resulting paralogs' coding-regions, or in their cis-regulatory elements, contribute most significantly to the assembly of novel gene regulatory networks. The Transcription Factor Activator Protein 2 (Tfap2) was duplicated in the chordate lineage and is essential for development of the neural crest, a tissue that emerged with vertebrates. Using a tfap2-depleted zebrafish background, we test the ability of available gnathostome, agnathan, cephalochordate and insect tfap2 paralogs to drive neural crest development. With the exception of tfap2d (lamprey and zebrafish), all are able to do so. Together with expression analyses, these results indicate that sub-functionalization has occurred among Tfap2 paralogs, but that neo-functionalization of the Tfap2 protein did not drive the emergence of the neural crest. We investigate whether acquisition of novel target genes for Tfap2 might have done so. We show that in neural crest cells Tfap2 directly activates expression of sox10, which encodes a transcription factor essential for neural crest development. The appearance of this regulatory interaction is likely to have coincided with that of the neural crest, because AP2 and SoxE are not co-expressed in amphioxus, and because neural crest enhancers are not detected proximal to amphioxus soxE. We find that sox10 has limited ability to restore the neural crest in Tfap2-deficient embryos. Together, these results show that mutations resulting in novel Tfap2-mediated regulation of sox10 and other targets contributed to the evolution of the neural crest.

Isolation and characterization of neural crest-derived stem cells from dental pulp of neonatal mice

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are shown to reside within the tooth and play an important role in dentin regeneration. DPSCs were first isolated and characterized from human teeth and most studies have focused on using this adult stem cell for clinical applications. However, mouse DPSCs have not been well characterized and their origin(s) have not yet been elucidated. Herein we examined if murine DPSCs are neural crest derived and determined their in vitro and in vivo capacity. DPSCs from neonatal murine tooth pulp expressed embryonic stem cell and neural crest related genes, but lacked expression of mesodermal genes. Cells isolated from the Wnt1-Cre/R26R-LacZ model, a reporter of neural crest-derived tissues, indicated that DPSCs were Wnt1-marked and therefore of neural crest origin. Clonal DPSCs showed multi-differentiation in neural crest lineage for odontoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, neurons, and smooth muscles. Following in vivo subcutaneous transplantation with hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate, based on tissue/cell morphology and specific antibody staining, the clones differentiated into odontoblast-like cells and produced dentin-like structure. Conversely, bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) gave rise to osteoblast-like cells and generated bone-like structure. Interestingly, the capillary distribution in the DPSC transplants showed close proximity to odontoblasts whereas in the BMSC transplants bone condensations were distant to capillaries resembling dentinogenesis in the former vs. osteogenesis in the latter. Thus we demonstrate the existence of neural crest-derived DPSCs with differentiation capacity into cranial mesenchymal tissues and other neural crest-derived tissues. In turn, DPSCs hold promise as a source for regenerating cranial mesenchyme and other neural crest derived tissues.

SoxE gene duplication and development of the lamprey branchial skeleton: Insights into development and evolution of the neural crest

SoxE genes are multifunctional transcriptional regulators that play key roles in specification and differentiation of neural crest. Three members (Sox8, Sox9, Sox10) are expressed in the neural crest and are thought to modulate the expression and activity of each other. In addition to regulating the expression of other early neural crest marker genes, SoxE genes are required for development of cartilage. Here we investigated the role of SoxE genes in development of the neural crest-derived branchial skeleton in the sea lamprey. Using a morpholino knockdown approach, we show that all three SoxE genes described in lamprey are required for branchial basket development. Our results suggest that SoxE1 and SoxE2 are required for specification of the chondrogenic neural crest. SoxE3 plays a morphogenetic role in patterning of the branchial basket and may be required for the development of mucocartilage, a tissue unique to larval lampreys. While the lamprey branchial basket develops primarily from an elastin-like major extracellular matrix protein that is specific to lampreys, fibrillar collagen is also expressed in developing branchial cartilage and may be regulated by the lamprey SoxE genes. Our data suggest that the regulation of Type II collagen by Sox9 might have been co-opted by the neural crest in development of the branchial skeleton following the divergence of agnathan and gnathostome vertebrates. Finally, our results also have implications for understanding the independent evolution of duplicated SoxE genes among agnathan and gnathostome vertebrates.

A Sox10 enhancer element common to the otic placode and neural crest is activated by tissue-specific paralogs

The otic placode, a specialized region of ectoderm, gives rise to components of the inner ear and shares many characteristics with the neural crest, including expression of the key transcription factor Sox10. Here, we show that in avian embryos, a highly conserved cranial neural crest enhancer, Sox10E2, also controls the onset of Sox10 expression in the otic placode. Interestingly, we show that different combinations of paralogous transcription factors (Sox8, Pea3 and cMyb versus Sox9, Ets1 and cMyb) are required to mediate Sox10E2 activity in the ear and neural crest, respectively. Mutating their binding motifs within Sox10E2 greatly reduces enhancer activity in the ear. Moreover, simultaneous knockdown of Sox8, Pea3 and cMyb eliminates not only the enhancer-driven reporter expression, but also the onset of endogenous Sox10 expression in the ear. Rescue experiments confirm that the specific combination of Myb together with Sox8 and Pea3 is responsible for the onset of Sox10 expression in the otic placode, as opposed to Myb plus Sox9 and Ets1 for neural crest Sox10 expression. Whereas SUMOylation of Sox8 is not required for the initial onset of Sox10 expression, it is necessary for later otic vesicle formation. This new role of Sox8, Pea3 and cMyb in controlling Sox10 expression via a common otic/neural crest enhancer suggests an evolutionarily conserved function for the combination of paralogous transcription factors in these tissues of distinct embryological origin.

Evolution of a novel developmental trajectory: fission is distinct from regeneration in the annelid Pristina leidyi

Understanding how novelty arises has been a major focus of evolutionary developmental biology. While the origin of new genes, gene functions, and morphological features has been studied intensely, the origin of entire developmental trajectories, such as regeneration or agametic reproduction, remains poorly understood. Agametic reproduction by fission is a novel trajectory evolved numerous times among animal phyla, including Annelida, in which it is thought to arise by co-option of regeneration. To gain insight into how a novel trajectory may evolve, we investigated a relatively recent origin of fission. We performed a detailed comparison of morphogenesis during regeneration and fission in the annelid Pristina leidyi (Clitellata, Naididae), from the onset of these trajectories to the achievement of the final morphology. We find extensive similarities between fission and regeneration morphogenesis, and, of particular note, find evidence for a synapomorphy of fission and regeneration (apparently not shared with embryogenesis) in peripheral nervous system development, providing strong support for the hypothesis that fission is derived from regeneration. We also find important differences between fission and regeneration, during development of multiple organ systems. These are manifested by temporal shifts in developmental events and by the presence of elements unique to only one process. Differences are not obviously temporally clustered at the beginning, middle, or end of development but rather occur throughout, indicating that divergence has occurred along the entire developmental course of these trajectories.

Making senses development of vertebrate cranial placodes

Cranial placodes (which include the adenohypophyseal, olfactory, lens, otic, lateral line, profundal/trigeminal, and epibranchial placodes) give rise to many sense organs and ganglia of the vertebrate head. Recent evidence suggests that all cranial placodes may be developmentally related structures, which originate from a common panplacodal primordium at neural plate stages and use similar regulatory mechanisms to control developmental processes shared between different placodes such as neurogenesis and morphogenetic movements. After providing a brief overview of placodal diversity, the present review summarizes current evidence for the existence of a panplacodal primordium and discusses the central role of transcription factors Six1 and Eya1 in the regulation of processes shared between different placodes. Upstream signaling events and transcription factors involved in early embryonic induction and specification of the panplacodal primordium are discussed next. I then review how individual placodes arise from the panplacodal primordium and present a model of multistep placode induction. Finally, I briefly summarize recent advances concerning how placodal neurons and sensory cells are specified, and how morphogenesis of placodes (including delamination and migration of placode-derived cells and invagination) is controlled.

What are melanocytes really doing all day long...?

Everyone knows and seems to agree that melanocytes are there to generate melanin - an intriguing, but underestimated multipurpose molecule that is capable of doing far more than providing pigment and UV protection to skin (1). What about the cell that generates melanin, then? Is this dendritic, neural crest-derived cell still serving useful (or even important) functions when no-one looks at the pigmentation of our skin and its appendages and when there is essentially no UV exposure? In other words, what do epidermal and hair follicle melanocytes do in their spare time - at night, under your bedcover? How much of the full portfolio of physiological melanocyte functions in mammalian skin has really been elucidated already? Does the presence or absence of melanocytes matter for normal epidermal and/or hair follicle functions (beyond pigmentation and UV protection), and for skin immune responses? Do melanocytes even deserve as much credit for UV protection as conventional wisdom attributes to them? In which interactions do these promiscuous cells engage with their immediate epithelial environment and who is controlling whom? What lessons might be distilled from looking at lower vertebrate melanophores and at extracutaneous melanocytes in the endeavour to reveal the 'secret identity' of melanocytes? The current Controversies feature explores these far too infrequently posed, biologically and clinically important questions. Complementing a companion viewpoint essay on malignant melanocytes (2), this critical re-examination of melanocyte biology provides a cornucopia of old, but under-appreciated concepts and novel ideas on the slowly emerging complexity of physiological melanocyte functions, and delineates important, thought-provoking questions that remain to be definitively answered by future research.

Fate map and morphogenesis of presumptive neural crest and dorsal neural tube

In contrast to the classical assumption that neural crest cells are induced in chick as the neural folds elevate, recent data suggest that they are already specified during gastrulation. This prompted us to map the origin of the neural crest and dorsal neural tube in the early avian embryo. Using a combination of focal dye injections and time-lapse imaging, we find that neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors are present in a broad, crescent-shaped region of the gastrula. Surprisingly, static fate maps together with dynamic confocal imaging reveal that the neural plate border is considerably broader and extends more caudally than expected. Interestingly, we find that the position of the presumptive neural crest broadly correlates with the BMP4 expression domain from gastrula to neurula stages. Some degree of rostrocaudal patterning, albeit incomplete, is already evident in the gastrula. Time-lapse imaging studies show that the neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors undergo choreographed movements that follow a spatiotemporal progression and include convergence and extension, reorientation, cell intermixing, and motility deep within the embryo. Through these rearrangement and reorganization movements, the neural crest and dorsal neural tube precursors become regionally segregated, coming to occupy predictable rostrocaudal positions along the embryonic axis. This regionalization occurs progressively and appears to be complete in the neurula by stage 7 at levels rostral to Hensen's node.

Evolution of the neural crest viewed from a gene regulatory perspective

Neural crest cells are a vertebrate innovation and form a wide variety of embryonic cell types as diverse as peripheral neurons and facial skeleton. They undergo complex migration and differentiation processes from their site of origin in the developing central nervous system to their final destinations in the periphery. In this review, we summarize recent data on the current formulation of a gene regulatory network underlying neural crest formation and its roots at the base of the vertebrate lineage. Analyzing neural crest formation from a gene regulatory viewpoint provides insights into both the developmental mechanisms and evolutionary origins of this vertebrate-specific cell type.

Review: the role of neural crest cells in the endocrine system

The neural crest is a pluripotent population of cells that arises at the junction of the neural tube and the dorsal ectoderm. These highly migratory cells form diverse derivatives including neurons and glia of the sensory, sympathetic, and enteric nervous systems, melanocytes, and the bones, cartilage, and connective tissues of the face. The neural crest has long been associated with the endocrine system, although not always correctly. According to current understanding, neural crest cells give rise to the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, chief cells of the extra-adrenal paraganglia, and thyroid C cells. The endocrine tumors that correspond to these cell types are pheochromocytomas, extra-adrenal paragangliomas, and medullary thyroid carcinomas. Although controversies concerning embryological origin appear to have mostly been resolved, questions persist concerning the pathobiology of each tumor type and its basis in neural crest embryology. Here we present a brief history of the work on neural crest development, both in general and in application to the endocrine system. In particular, we present findings related to the plasticity and pluripotency of neural crest cells as well as a discussion of several different neural crest tumors in the endocrine system.

Rho-kinase and myosin II affect dynamic neural crest cell behaviors during epithelial to mesenchymal transition in vivo

The induction and migration of neural crest cells (NCCs) are essential to the development of craniofacial structures and the peripheral nervous system. A critical step in the development of NCCs is the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that they undergo in order to initiate migration. Several transcription factors are important for the NCC EMT. However, less is known about the effectors regulating changes in cell adhesion, the cytoskeleton, and cell motility associated with the EMT or about specific changes in the behavior of cells undergoing EMT in vivo. We used time-lapse imaging of NCCs in the zebrafish hindbrain to show that NCCs undergo a stereotypical series of behaviors during EMT. We find that loss of cell adhesion and membrane blebbing precede filopodial extension and the onset of migration. Live imaging of actin dynamics shows that actin localizes differently in blebs and filopodia. Moreover, we find that disruption of myosin II or Rho-kinase (ROCK) activity inhibits NCC blebbing and causes reduced NCC EMT. These data reveal roles for myosin II and ROCK in NCC EMT in vivo, and provide a detailed characterization of NCC behavior during EMT that will form a basis for further mechanistic studies.

Trunk lateral cells are neural crest-like cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis: insights into the ancestry and evolution of the neural crest

Neural crest-like cells (NCLC) that express the HNK-1 antigen and form body pigment cells were previously identified in diverse ascidian species. Here we investigate the embryonic origin, migratory activity, and neural crest related gene expression patterns of NCLC in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. HNK-1 expression first appeared at about the time of larval hatching in dorsal cells of the posterior trunk. In swimming tadpoles, HNK-1 positive cells began to migrate, and after metamorphosis they were localized in the oral and atrial siphons, branchial gill slits, endostyle, and gut. Cleavage arrest experiments showed that NCLC are derived from the A7.6 cells, the precursors of trunk lateral cells (TLC), one of the three types of migratory mesenchymal cells in ascidian embryos. In cleavage arrested embryos, HNK-1 positive TLC were present on the lateral margins of the neural plate and later became localized adjacent to the posterior sensory vesicle, a staging zone for their migration after larval hatching. The Ciona orthologues of seven of sixteen genes that function in the vertebrate neural crest gene regulatory network are expressed in the A7.6/TLC lineage. The vertebrate counterparts of these genes function downstream of neural plate border specification in the regulatory network leading to neural crest development. The results suggest that NCLC and neural crest cells may be homologous cell types originating in the common ancestor of tunicates and vertebrates and support the possibility that a putative regulatory network governing NCLC development was co-opted to produce neural crest cells during vertebrate evolution.

Do vertebrate neural crest and cranial placodes have a common evolutionary origin?

Two embryonic tissues-the neural crest and the cranial placodes-give rise to most evolutionary novelties of the vertebrate head. These two tissues develop similarly in several respects: they originate from ectoderm at the neural plate border, give rise to migratory cells and develop into multiple cell fates including sensory neurons. These similarities, and the joint appearance of both tissues in the vertebrate lineage, may point to a common evolutionary origin of neural crest and placodes from a specialized population of neural plate border cells. However, a review of the developmental mechanisms underlying the induction, specification, migration and cytodifferentiation of neural crest and placodes reveals fundamental differences between the tissues. Taken together with insights from recent studies in tunicates and amphioxus, this suggests that neural crest and placodes have an independent evolutionary origin and that they evolved from the neural and non-neural side of the neural plate border, respectively.

The origin and evolution of the neural crest

Many of the features that distinguish the vertebrates from other chordates are derived from the neural crest, and it has long been argued that the emergence of this multipotent embryonic population was a key innovation underpinning vertebrate evolution. More recently, however, a number of studies have suggested that the evolution of the neural crest was less sudden than previously believed. This has exposed the fact that neural crest, as evidenced by its repertoire of derivative cell types, has evolved through vertebrate evolution. In this light, attempts to derive a typological definition of neural crest, in terms of molecular signatures or networks, are unfounded. We propose a less restrictive, embryological definition of this cell type that facilitates, rather than precludes, investigating the evolution of neural crest. While the evolutionary origin of neural crest has attracted much attention, its subsequent evolution has received almost no attention and yet it is more readily open to experimental investigation and has greater relevance to understanding vertebrate evolution. Finally, we provide a brief outline of how the evolutionary emergence of neural crest potentiality may have proceeded, and how it may be investigated.

Insights from the amphioxus genome on the origin of vertebrate neural crest

The emergence of the neural crest has been proposed to play a key role in early vertebrate evolution by remodeling the chordate head into a "new head" that enabled early vertebrates to shift from filter feeding to active predation. Here we show that the genome of the basal chordate, amphioxus, contains homologs of most vertebrate genes implicated in a putative neural crest gene regulatory network (NC-GRN) for neural crest development. Our survey of gene expression shows that early inducing signals, neural plate border patterning genes, and melanocyte differentiation genes appear conserved. Furthermore, exogenous BMP affects expression of amphioxus neural plate border genes as in vertebrates, suggesting that conserved signals specify the neural plate border throughout chordates. In contrast to this core conservation, many neural crest specifier genes are not expressed at the amphioxus neural plate/tube border, raising the intriguing possibility that this level of the network was co-opted during vertebrate evolution. Consistent with this, the regulatory region of AmphiFoxD, homologous to the vertebrate neural crest specifier FoxD3, drives tissue-specific reporter expression in chick mesoderm, but not neural crest. Thus, evolution of a new regulatory element may have allowed co-option of this gene to the NC-GRN.

Insights from a sea lamprey into the evolution of neural crest gene regulatory network

The neural crest is a vertebrate innovation that forms at the embryonic neural plate border, transforms from epithelial to mesenchymal, migrates extensively throughout the embryo along well-defined pathways, and differentiates into a plethora of derivatives that include elements of peripheral nervous system, craniofacial skeleton, melanocytes, etc. The complex process of neural crest formation is guided by multiple regulatory modules that define neural crest gene regulatory network (NC GRN), which allows the neural crest to progressively acquire all of its defining characteristics. The molecular study of neural crest formation in lamprey, a basal extant vertebrate, consisting in identification and functional tests of molecular elements at each regulatory level of this network, has helped address the question of the timing of emergence of NC GRN and define its basal state. The results have revealed striking conservation in deployment of upstream factors and regulatory modules, suggesting that proximal portions of the network arose early in vertebrate evolution and have been tightly conserved for more than 500 million years. In contrast, certain differences were observed in deployment of some neural crest specifier and downstream effector genes expected to confer species-specific migratory and differentiation properties.

Evolution of a core gene network for skeletogenesis in chordates

The skeleton is one of the most important features for the reconstruction of vertebrate phylogeny but few data are available to understand its molecular origin. In mammals the Runt genes are central regulators of skeletogenesis. Runx2 was shown to be essential for osteoblast differentiation, tooth development, and bone formation. Both Runx2 and Runx3 are essential for chondrocyte maturation. Furthermore, Runx2 directly regulates Indian hedgehog expression, a master coordinator of skeletal development. To clarify the correlation of Runt gene evolution and the emergence of cartilage and bone in vertebrates, we cloned the Runt genes from hagfish as representative of jawless fish (MgRunxA, MgRunxB) and from dogfish as representative of jawed cartilaginous fish (ScRunx1-3). According to our phylogenetic reconstruction the stem species of chordates harboured a single Runt gene and thereafter Runt locus duplications occurred during early vertebrate evolution. All newly isolated Runt genes were expressed in cartilage according to quantitative PCR. In situ hybridisation confirmed high MgRunxA expression in hard cartilage of hagfish. In dogfish ScRunx2 and ScRunx3 were expressed in embryonal cartilage whereas all three Runt genes were detected in teeth and placoid scales. In cephalochordates (lancelets) Runt, Hedgehog and SoxE were strongly expressed in the gill bars and expression of Runt and Hedgehog was found in endo- as well as ectodermal cells. Furthermore we demonstrate that the lancelet Runt protein binds to Runt binding sites in the lancelet Hedgehog promoter and regulates its activity. Together, these results suggest that Runt and Hedgehog were part of a core gene network for cartilage formation, which was already active in the gill bars of the common ancestor of cephalochordates and vertebrates and diversified after Runt duplications had occurred during vertebrate evolution. The similarities in expression patterns of Runt genes support the view that teeth and placoid scales evolved from a homologous developmental module.

Ancient evolutionary origin of the neural crest gene regulatory network

The vertebrate neural crest migrates from its origin, the neural plate border, to form diverse derivatives. We previously hypothesized that a neural crest gene regulatory network (NC-GRN) guides neural crest formation. Here, we investigate when during evolution this hypothetical network emerged by analyzing neural crest formation in lamprey, a basal extant vertebrate. We identify 50 NC-GRN homologs and use morpholinos to demonstrate a critical role for eight transcriptional regulators. The results reveal conservation in deployment of upstream factors, suggesting that proximal portions of the network arose early in vertebrate evolution and have been conserved for >500 million years. We found biphasic expression of neural crest specifiers and differences in deployment of some specifiers and effectors expected to confer species-specific properties. By testing the collective expression and function of neural crest genes in a single, basal vertebrate, we reveal the ground state of the NC-GRN and resolve ambiguities between model organisms.

ciCD94-1, an ascidian multipurpose C-type lectin-like receptor expressed in Ciona intestinalis hemocytes and larval neural structures

C-type lectins play an important role in the immune system and are part of a large superfamily that includes C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD)-containing proteins. Divergent evolution, acting on the CTLD fold, has generated the Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-binding lectins and molecules, as the lectin-like natural killer (NK) receptors that bind proteins, rather than sugars, in a Ca(2+)-independent manner. We have studied ciCD94-1, a CTLD-containing protein from the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, which is a homolog of the CD94 vertebrate receptor that is expressed on NK cells and modulates their cytotoxic activity by interacting with MHC class I molecules. ciCD94-1 shares structural features with the CTLD-containing molecules that recognize proteins, suggesting that it could be located along the evolutionary pathway leading to the NK receptors. ciCD94-1 was up-regulated in response to inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) acting on a blood cell type present in both the tunic and circulating blood. Furthermore, an anti-ciCD94-1 antibody specifically inhibited the phagocytic activity of these cells. ciCD94-1 was also expressed during development in the larva and in the early stages of metamorphosis in structures related to the nervous system, and loss of its function affected the correct differentiation of these territories. These findings suggest that ciCD94-1 has different roles in immunity and in development, thus strengthening the concept of gene co-option during evolution and of an evolutionary relationship between the nervous and the immune systems.

Insights from amphioxus into the evolution of vertebrate cartilage

Central to the story of vertebrate evolution is the origin of the vertebrate head, a problem difficult to approach using paleontology and comparative morphology due to a lack of unambiguous intermediate forms. Embryologically, much of the vertebrate head is derived from two ectodermal tissues, the neural crest and cranial placodes. Recent work in protochordates suggests the first chordates possessed migratory neural tube cells with some features of neural crest cells. However, it is unclear how and when these cells acquired the ability to form cellular cartilage, a cell type unique to vertebrates. It has been variously proposed that the neural crest acquired chondrogenic ability by recruiting proto-chondrogenic gene programs deployed in the neural tube, pharynx, and notochord. To test these hypotheses we examined the expression of 11 amphioxus orthologs of genes involved in neural crest chondrogenesis. Consistent with cellular cartilage as a vertebrate novelty, we find that no single amphioxus tissue co-expresses all or most of these genes. However, most are variously co-expressed in mesodermal derivatives. Our results suggest that neural crest-derived cartilage evolved by serial cooption of genes which functioned primitively in mesoderm.

Chordate ancestry of the neural crest: New insights from ascidians

This article reviews new insights from ascidians on the ancestry of vertebrate neural crest (NC) cells. Ascidians have neural crest-like cells (NCLC), which migrate from the dorsal midline, express some of the typical NC markers, and develop into body pigment cells. These characters suggest that primordial NC cells were already present in the common ancestor of the vertebrates and urochordates, which have been recently inferred as sister groups. The primitive role of NCLC may have been in pigment cell dispersal and development. Later, additional functions may have appeared in the vertebrate lineage, resulting in the evolution of definitive NC cells.

Redundant activities of Tfap2a and Tfap2c are required for neural crest induction and development of other non-neural ectoderm derivatives in zebrafish embryos

A knockdown study suggested that transcription factor AP-2 alpha (Tfap2a) is required for neural crest induction in frog embryos. However, because Tfap2a is expressed in neural crest and in presumptive epidermis, a source of signals that induce neural crest, it was unclear whether this requirement is cell autonomous. Moreover, neural crest induction occurs normally in zebrafish tfap2a and mouse Tcfap2a mutant embryos, so it was unclear if a requirement for Tfap2a in this process has been evolutionarily conserved. Here we show that zebrafish tfap2c, encoding AP-2 gamma (Tfap2c), is expressed in non-neural ectoderm including transiently in neural crest. Inhibition of tfap2c with antisense oligonucleotides does not visibly perturb development. However, simultaneous inhibition of tfap2a and tfap2c utterly prevents neural crest induction, supporting a conserved role for Tfap2-type activity in neural crest induction. Transplant studies suggest that this role is cell-autonomous. In addition, in tfap2a/tfap2c doubly deficient embryos cranial placode derivatives are reduced, although gene expression characteristic of pre-placodal domain is normal. Unexpectedly, Rohon-Beard sensory neurons, which previous studies indicated are derived from the same precursor population as neural crest, are reduced by less than half in such embryos, implying a non-neural crest origin for a subset of them.

Formation of the ascidian epidermal sensory neurons: insights into the origin of the chordate peripheral nervous system

The vertebrate peripheral nervous system (PNS) originates from neural crest and placodes. While its developmental origin is the object of intense studies, little is known concerning its evolutionary history. To address this question, we analyzed the formation of the larval tail PNS in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. The tail PNS of Ciona is made of sensory neurons located within the epidermis midlines and extending processes in the overlying tunic median fin. We show that each midline corresponds to a single longitudinal row of epidermal cells and neurons sharing common progenitors. This simple organization is observed throughout the tail epidermis, which is made of only eight single-cell rows, each expressing a specific genetic program. We next demonstrate that the epidermal neurons are specified in two consecutive steps. During cleavage and gastrula stages, the dorsal and ventral midlines are independently induced by FGF9/16/20 and the BMP ligand ADMP, respectively. Subsequently, Delta/Notch-mediated lateral inhibition controls the number of neurons formed within these neurogenic regions. These results provide a comprehensive overview of PNS formation in ascidian and uncover surprising similarities between the fate maps and embryological mechanisms underlying formation of ascidian neurogenic epidermis midlines and the vertebrate median fin.

Development and evolution of the migratory neural crest: a gene regulatory perspective

The neural crest, a uniquely vertebrate characteristic, gives rise to pigment cells, much of the peripheral nervous system, the craniofacial skeleton, and a plethora of other cell types. Classical embryological studies have revealed important details about the migratory pathways followed by these cells, and their subsequent differentiation into diverse derivatives. More recently, many aspects of the molecular cascade of events involved in neural crest induction and generation of these migratory cells have been revealed. Formation of the neural crest appears to involve a network of interactions whereby signaling molecules initiate the induction and, subsequently, the establishment of the neural plate border, which is marked by expression of a characteristic set of transcription factors designated as neural plate border-specifiers. These in turn regulate other transcription factors termed neural crest-specifiers, which control genes involved in neural crest delamination, the generation of migratory cells and ultimately the acquisition of appropriate fates.

Coronal organ of ascidians and the evolutionary significance of secondary sensory cells in chordates

A new mechanoreceptor organ, the coronal organ, in the oral siphon of some ascidians belonging to the order Pleurogona has recently been described. In contrast to the known mechanoreceptor organs of ascidian atrium that consist of sensory neurons sending their own axons to the cerebral ganglion, coronal sensory cells are secondary mechanoreceptors, i.e., axonless cells forming afferent and efferent synapses with neurites of neurons located in the ganglion. Moreover, coronal cells exhibit an apical apparatus composed of a cilium accompanied or flanked by rod-like microvilli (stereovilli). Because of the resemblance of these cells to vertebrate hair cells, their ectodermal origin and location in a linear array bordering the bases of the oral tentacles and velum, the coronal organ has been proposed as a homologue to the vertebrate acousticolateralis system. Here we describe the morphology of the coronal organs of six ascidians belonging to the suborders Phlebobranchia and Aplousobranchia (order Enterogona). The sensory cells are ciliated, lack typical stereovilli, and at their bases form synapses with neurites. In two species, the sensory cells are accompanied by large cells involved in synthesis and secretion of protein. We hypothesize that the coronal organ with its secondary sensory cells represents a plesiomorphic feature of ascidians. We compare the coronal organ with other chordate sensory organs formed of secondary sensory cells, i.e., the ventral lip receptors of appendicularians, the oral secondary sensory cells of cephalochordates, and the acousticolateralis system of vertebrates, and we discuss their homologies at different levels of organization.