Ascidian embryonic cells with properties of neural-crest cells and neuromesodermal progenitors of vertebrates

Abstract

SummaryNeural-crest cells and neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) are multipotent cells that are important for development of vertebrate embryos. In embryos of ascidians, which are the closest invertebrate relatives of vertebrates, several cells located at the border between the neural plate and the epidermal region have neural-crest-like properties; hence, the last common ancestor of ascidians and vertebrates may have had ancestral cells similar to neural-crest cells. However, these ascidian neural-crest-like cells do not produce cells that are commonly of mesodermal origin. Here, we showed that a cell population located in the lateral region of the neural plate has properties resembling those of vertebrate neural-crest cells and NMPs. Among them, cells withTbx6-relatedexpression contribute to muscle near the tip of the tail region, and cells withSox1/2/3expression give rise to the nerve cord. These observations and cross-species transcriptome comparisons indicate that these cells have properties like those of NMPs. Meanwhile, transcription factor genesDlx.b,Zic-r.b, andSnai,which are reminiscent of a gene circuit in vertebrate neural-crest cells, are involved in activation ofTbx6-related.b. Thus, the last common ancestor of ascidians and vertebrates may have had cells with properties of neural-crest cells and NMPs, and such ancestral cells may have produced cells commonly of ectodermal and mesodermal origins.