Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 6, 3465-3473, Copyright © 1986 by Society for Neuroscience
Migratory patterns of sympathetic ganglioblasts and other neural crest derivatives in chick embryos
JW Yip
While it is well established that neural crest cells migrate to give rise
to a variety of cell types and tissues, the migratory patterns among
individual neural crest derivatives have not been fully worked out. Such
knowledge is important not only in relation to the mechanisms of neural
crest migration and differentiation, but also in understanding the ontogeny
of the PNS. Of special interest in the latter regard is the origin of
sympathetic ganglion cells and their innervation, since studies on ganglion
cell innervation have suggested that the matching between pre- and
postganglionic neurons might be based on their early positions along the
neuraxis (see preceding paper). In the present study, I have used the
quail-chick transplantation technique to examine the migratory patterns of
the precursors of sympathetic ganglion cells, dorsal root ganglion cells,
and melanocytes that originate from 1 or 2 segments of the trunk neural
crest. My results indicate that precursors of sympathetic ganglion cells,
on average, migrate 2 segments rostrally and 3 segments caudally. Thus,
individual sympathetic ganglia comprise neurons that originate from up to 6
segments of the neuraxis. Precursors of melanocytes also migrate along the
rostrocaudal axis, but to an even greater extent than sympathetic
ganglioblasts. In contrast, precursors of dorsal root ganglion cells do not
migrate at all along the rostrocaudal axis (although they migrate along a
ventromedial pathway to give rise to the dorsal root ganglia of the same
segmental level). The number of neural crest segments contributing to each
sympathetic ganglion is approximately equal to the number of spinal cord
segments contributing to its innervation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)