Investigating the role of ELAVL1 as a post-transcriptional regulator of cranial neural crest development

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The neural crest (NC) is a multipotent stem cell population that is critical for normal craniofacial morphogenesis in vertebrates. During NC development, NC cells delaminate from the neural tube and migrate throughout the developing embryo. The cranial NC ultimately differentiates into various structures of the head and face, including the craniofacial skeleton and cranial sensory ganglia. For cranial NC cells to properly contribute to these structures, they must undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which allows these cells to migrate to their correct destinations. Perturbing one or more events of NC development results in structural craniofacial defects (e.g. cleft lip/palate) and abnormal trigeminal sensory innervation. Thus, a thorough understanding of cranial NC development is essential for identifying the etiology of craniofacial abnormalities. Recently, ELAVL1, a ubiquitous RNA-binding protein, was discovered to have critical regulatory roles in premigratory cranial NC to correctly time the onset of EMT. My preliminary findings suggest that ELAVL1 continues regulate cranial NC development following EMT, during cranial NC migration and subsequent cranial gangliogenesis. The goal of this Proposal is to characterize the role of ELAVL1 during cranial NC development and trigeminal gangliogenesis in the chick embryo. The findings of this study will advance our current understanding of the etiology of craniofacial anomalies, and more specifically, contribute basic scientific knowledge essential to understanding neurocristopathies, particularly those affecting somatosensory perception in the head and face.