This PNAS paper identifies in chicken, a neural crest stem cell isolated from the head region which can differentiate into many different cell types. It also identifies a role for Sonic hedgehog (Shh) to stimulate differentiation of endochondral, but not intramembranous, osteoblasts.
High frequency of cephalic neural crest cells shows coexistence of neurogenic, melanogenic, and osteogenic differentiation capacities.Calloni GW, Le Douarin NM, Dupin E. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 May 15. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19447928 | PNAS
The neural crest (NC) is a vertebrate innovation that distinguishes vertebrates from other chordates and was critical for the development and evolution of a “New Head and Brain.” …Here, we show that in avian embryos, a large majority of cephalic NC cells (CNCCs) have the ability to differentiate into cell types as diverse as neurons, melanocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Moreover, we find that the morphogen Sonic hedgehog (Shh) acts on CNCCs to increase endochondral osteogenesis while having no effect on osteoblasts prone to membranous ossification. We have developed culture conditions that demonstrate that “neural-mesenchymal” differentiation abilities are present in more than 90% of CNCCs. A highly multipotent progenitor (able to yield neurons, glia, melanocytes, myofibroblasts, chondrocytes, and osteocytes) comprises 7-13% of the clonogenic cells in the absence and presence of Shh, respectively.
(More? UNSW Embryology – Neural Crest | Head and Neck | SHH | Chicken)
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