Migrating trunk cells (green) avoid Slit- expressing cells (red).

When your gut tells you to run, it is wise to listen. Embryonic neural precursor cells do just that, according to De Bellard et al. (page 269), who identify the basis of an avoidance mechanism for migrating neural crest cells.

Groups of embryonic neural precursors take separate paths on their way to forming the peripheral nervous system. Vagal cells, which emerge from the neck region, migrate long distances to enter the gut. Cells in the trunk originate closer to the gut yet never enter this region. The new results show that the gut is off limits because trunk cells sense Slit proteins, chemorepellents involved in axon guidance in flies and vertebrates.

In chick embryos, Slit expression marked the entrance to the gut. The group injected Slit- expressing cells into embryos and found that trunk...

The Rockefeller University Press
2003
The Rockefeller University Press
2003
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