Reactivation of an Embryonic Cardiac Neural Crest Transcriptional Subcircuit During Zebrafish Heart Regeneration.

Unlabelled: During vertebrate development, the heart primarily arises from mesoderm, with crucial contributions from cardiac neural crest cells that migrate to the heart and form a variety of cardiovascular derivatives. Here, by integrating bulk and single cell RNA-seq with ATAC-seq, we identify a gene regulatory subcircuit specific to migratory cardiac crest cells composed of key transcription factors and . Notably, we show that cells expressing the canonical neural crest gene are essential for proper cardiac regeneration in adult zebrafish.

Making sense of vertebrate senses from a neural crest and cranial placode evo-devo perspective.

The evolution of vertebrates from protochordate ancestors marked the beginning of the gradual transition to predatory lifestyles. Enabled by the acquisition of multipotent neural crest and cranial placode cell populations, vertebrates developed an elaborate peripheral nervous system, equipped with paired sense organs, which aided in adaptive behaviors and ultimately, successful colonization of diverse environmental niches. Underpinning the enduring success of vertebrates is the highly adaptable nature of the peripheral nervous system, which is enabled by the exceptional malleability of the neural crest and placode developmental programs.

Ancient emergence of neuronal heterogeneity in the enteric nervous system of jawless vertebrates.

While the enteric nervous system (ENS) of jawed vertebrates is largely derived from the vagal neural crest, lamprey are jawless vertebrates that lack the vagal neural crest, yet possess enteric neurons derived from late-migrating Schwann cell precursors. To illuminate homologies between the ENS of jawed and jawless vertebrates, here we examine the diversity and distribution of neuronal subtypes within the intestine of the sea lamprey during late embryonic and ammocete stages. In addition to previously described 5-HT-immunoreactive serotonergic neurons, we identified NOS and VIP neurons, consistent with motor neuron identity.

Automated non-invasive laser speckle imaging of the chick heart rate and extraembryonic blood vessels and their response to Nifedipine and Amlodipine drugs.

Using our recently developed laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) to visualize blood vessels and monitor blood flow noninvasively, we test the utility of the developing chick heart as a functional model for drug screening. To this end, we examined the effects of antihypertensive agents Nifedipine and Amlodipine, belonging to the L-type calcium channel antagonist family, on blood flow visualized noninvasively through the intact shell. Guided by the live view mode, the drugs were injected through the shell and ventral to HH16-19 chick embryos.

Congenital heart defects differ following left versus right avian cardiac neural crest ablation.

The cardiac neural crest is critical for the normal development of the heart, as its surgical ablation in the chick recapitulates common human congenital heart defects such as 'Common Arterial Trunk' and 'Double Outlet Right Ventricle' (DORV). While left-right asymmetry is known to be important for heart development, little is known about potential asymmetric differences between right and left cardiac neural folds with respect to heart development. Here, through surgical ablation of either left or right cardiac neural crest, we find that right ablation results in more varied and more severe heart defects.