Meeting Abstract
Neural Crest Cells (NCC) are a migratory cell population that differentiates from along the dorsal and lateral margins of the forming embryonic central nervous system and contribute various cell types and tissues to the organismal body (such as cranial cartilage and bone, pericytes of the vasculature and pigment cells). While various subpopulations have been identified (cranial, cardiac, trunk, sacral) in groups with a longer history of study (i.e., established model organisms), not all vertebrate lineages have received equal attention. Within amniotes, ~33% of extant species are represented by the Lepidosauria (Rhynchocephalia [tuatara] + Squamata [snakes, lizards]), yet little work has been conducted on the NCC biology within this clade. Such a discrepancy in studies can be traced to the difficulty in examining NCC development in Lepidosauria as embryos in the majority of species examined begin development within the oviduct and, upon oviposition, embryos are at an advanced stage of morphogenesis (limb bud). Here we present the establishment of the Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) as a useful lepidosaur system for studying early embryonic development as embryos are at an early gastrula stage at egg laying and also present a slow rate of embryonic development (6 months) suitable for detailed examination of morphogenesis, thus allowing us to characterize NCC development, migration and differentiation in a squamate reptile.
