Neural crest cells are able to differentiate into various cell types such as osteoblast, chondroblast, sensory neurons and melanocytes. They are induced very early on in development, and before differentiation, these cells migrate long distances within the embryo to reach their final destination. This image illustrates cranial murine neural crest cells migrating from the anterior neural plate. Dissections of anterior neural plate mouse embryos performed at stage e8.5, just prior to neural crest migration. Cell migration is a highly orchestrated process happening during embryogenesis that requires fast cytoskeletal rearrangements within the cell to promote migration.
Actin, here stained in green, is a key component of the cytoskeleton required for cell migration. Protein glycogen synthase kinase 3, another important regulator of development, is stained red, and the DNA containing region of the cell, the nucleus, is shown in blue. Understanding cell migration during development is key to understand aberrant migration processes such as cancer and metastasis.
