New insights into craniofacial morphogenesis
Ortodoncia Primer año
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Abstract
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Craniofacial development is initiated with the establishment of an embryo's anteroposterior axis, marking a critical evolutionary step in vertebrates with the emergence of neural crest and ectodermal placodes. Recent studies have elucidated the generation and influence of neural crest cells in morphogenesis, highlighting their interaction with various epithelial sources which have been identified as active participants rather than passive bystanders. This review aims to synthesize innovative research in the field, demonstrating the complexities of craniofacial tissue interaction and the role of signaling pathways such as Fgf in developmental processes.
Key takeaways
- Although the neural crest receives a significant amount of attention, it is not the only craniofacial tissue with patterning information.
- One of the first crucial steps in craniofacial development occurs when head ectoderm is subdivided into non-neural and neural regions, because this effectively establishes which head epithelium will lie outside of the cranial neural crest and which will lie inside it ( Fig. 2B-D).
- In two recent studies, the contribution of the neural crest to facial patterning was assessed by swapping neural crest cells between ducks and quails.
- Oral ectoderm and tooth patterning Perhaps no system better exemplifies the importance of reciprocal signaling between epithelia and neural crest mesenchyme in the control of craniofacial patterning than that of tooth development.
- Finally, although the issue of whether the neural crest or epithelium contains patterning information might be settled (they both do), how the patterning process itself is instigated remains unknown.
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