Signaling Extraordinaire: Extracellular vesicles in cranial neural crest migration

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound particles released from all cells that have thus far been examined. Commonly studied in cancer biology, many categories of EVs have been characterized. EVs serve as a means of cell-cell communication across short and long distances. Cells also extend membranous protrusions to communicate and connect with distant cells, and developmental studies show they can serve as highways or conduits for the transfer of EVs. While cancer biology often lacks the context of a physiological system, developmental biology struggles to properly characterize EVs and protrusions. Neural crest cells (NCC) are an ideal system for bridging these fields because invasive cancer reactivates neural crest developmental programs, including epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration. Using cranial neural fold cultures, we identify two types of NCC-derived EVs: exosomes and migrasomes. Upon inhibition of exosome secretion, NCC migration is disrupted, leading to rounder, less motile cells. This data suggests NCC exosomes are critical for migration.