Fgfr1 regulates patterning of the pharyngeal region

Genes Dev. 2003 Jan 1;17(1):141-53. doi: 10.1101/gad.250703.

Abstract

Development of the pharyngeal region depends on the interaction and integration of different cell populations, including surface ectoderm, foregut endoderm, paraxial mesoderm, and neural crest. Mice homozygous for a hypomorphic allele of Fgfr1 have craniofacial defects, some of which appeared to result from a failure in the early development of the second branchial arch. A stream of neural crest cells was found to originate from the rhombomere 4 region and migrate toward the second branchial arch in the mutants. Neural crest cells mostly failed to enter the second arch, however, but accumulated in a region proximal to it. Both rescue of the hypomorphic Fgfr1 allele and inactivation of a conditional Fgfr1 allele specifically in neural crest cells indicated that Fgfr1 regulates the entry of neural crest cells into the second branchial arch non-cell-autonomously. Gene expression in the pharyngeal ectoderm overlying the developing second branchial arch was affected in the hypomorphic Fgfr1 mutants at a stage prior to neural crest entry. Our results indicate that Fgfr1 patterns the pharyngeal region to create a permissive environment for neural crest cell migration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Branchial Region / pathology
  • Cell Movement
  • Cleft Palate / embryology
  • Cleft Palate / genetics
  • Craniofacial Abnormalities / embryology
  • Craniofacial Abnormalities / genetics
  • Ear, Middle / abnormalities
  • Ear, Middle / embryology
  • Ectoderm / metabolism
  • Epithelium / embryology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Genes, Lethal
  • Hyoid Bone / abnormalities
  • Hyoid Bone / embryology
  • Integrases / genetics
  • Integrases / physiology
  • Mice
  • Morphogenesis / genetics
  • Neural Crest / cytology*
  • Pharynx / embryology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / physiology
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / physiology*
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1
  • Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / physiology*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / physiology
  • Rhombencephalon / abnormalities
  • Rhombencephalon / embryology
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Proteins / physiology
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins*

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Viral Proteins
  • Wnt Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • Fgfr1 protein, mouse
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1
  • Cre recombinase
  • Integrases