Early post-implantation development of the nervous system
Cells of the early developing nervous system (neural tube) differentiate into different types of neuronal cells and neurosupporting cells after implantation of the embryo to the uterus. Some cells of the neural tube also undergo cell movements to achieve the necessary tissue rearrangements for subsequent tissue interactions and organ formation. Abnormalities that occur in these developmental processes may result in structural or functional anomalies leading to birth defects or even death of the embryo.
We have already successfully developed an in vitro whole culture system in which mouse embryos are grown in a culture medium for studies of the neural tube development, enteric ganglion cell differentiation and cell movements.
We have been using morphological analyses (light and electron microscopy), in situ cell labelling (cells are labelled when the embryo is alive),immunohistochemical staining, genetic analyses and tissue transplantation to study the origins, migration pathways and final differentiation of different types of embryonic cells (e.g. neural crest cells, cortical neurons, enteric neurons, astrocytes, gastrulating cells, placodal cells, etc).
Mutant animals which show different types of developmental defects are also being used to study the pathogenesis of different types of birth defects, such as congenital heart defects, spina bifida (split vertebral spine) and megacolon.
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Most recent studies focus on the migration of sacral neural crest cells, the development of the enteric nervous system and the migration of microglial progenitors in mouse embryos.