Neural crest stem cells: discovery, properties and potential for therapy

Abstract

Neural crest (NC) cells are a migratory cell population synonymous with vertebrate evolution. They generate a wide variety of cell and tissue types during embryonic and adult development including cartilage and bone, connective tissue, pigment and endocrine cells as well as neurons and glia amongst many others. Such incredible lineage potential combined with a limited capacity for self-renewal, which persists even into adult life, demonstrates that NC cells bear the key hallmarks of stem and progenitor cells. In this review, we describe the identification, characterization and isolation of NC stem and progenitor cells from different tissues in both embryo and adult organisms. We discuss their specific properties and their potential application in cell-based tissue and disease-specific repair.

Figure 1

NC cell-derived structures in the mouse. (A) NCCs are marked with GFP using the knock-in Pax3-GFP transgenic line at E8.5 . The cranial NC gives rise to the bone (red) and cartilage (blue) of the face as seen by alizarin and alcian staining (B), the cardiac NC contributes to the aorticopulmonary septum and conotruncal cushions of the heart (C), the vagal NC will give rise to the enteric ganglia of the gut (Wnt1CreYFP) (D), and the trunk NC will give rise to neurons, which will contribute to the PNS as seen by TuJ1 immunostaining in an E11.5 embryo (E).

Figure 2

Sources and types of human molar dental stem cells. Five different dental mesenchyme stem cell-like cells have been isolated from humans. These include DPSCs, SHED, PDLSCs, SCAP, and DFPCs ^{, , , ,} . The dental mesenchyme, which is the origin of all the five aforementioned cell types, is known to derive from the cranial NC.