Ur neural fold grafts comprehensively labeled the neural crest, since we observed GFP+ cells in all neural crest derivatives (dorsal fin mesenchyme, MedChemExpress Nafarelin melanophores, jaws and pharyngeal arches, dorsal root ganglia, Schwann cells, the truncus arteriosus and septa of the heart, and neurons and glial cells 1326631 of the enteric nervous system) from mid-head to mid-trunk levels (Fig. 2 b ). Strikingly, no GFP+ cells were found in the shoulder girdle, neither in theLack of Neural Crest in the Axolotl ShoulderFigure 1. Relations of the shoulder girdle to the 13655-52-2 cost embryonic and adult anatomy. According to the fate map by Stocum and Fallon [32], the shoulder girdle of the axolotl arises mainly from flank mesoderm as part of the embryonic limb field (left). The upper, scapular (sca), and the lower, coracoid (cor) parts of the shoulder girdle (right) originate from the specific areas of the limb field around the region, which gives rise to cartilage and connective tissues of the prospective free limb (fl) [32]. The shoulder girdle region is thus positioned just caudal to the branchial arches (ba), where the main streems of migrating neural crest cells pass. In adults, the coracoid plate of one side meets the contralateral counterpart along the ventral midline of the animal, while the upper scapular edge reaches the level of transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae. These parts of the shoulder girdle are cartilaginous (grey) in the axolotl throughout life, while the middle of the shoulder girdle (both in the scapula and the coracoid plate), from where the limb emerges, are ossified in adults. The anterior, cranial edge of the scapula bears the attachment sites of muscles (m. cuccularis, m. opercularis), which connect the shoulder girdle to the occipital bones of the skull. Other abbreviations: e, eye; prn, pronephros; s, somite, tv, thoracic vertebrae. Not to scale. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052244.g(HNK-1, PDGFRa) has suggested that neural crest contributes to the dermal plastron (epiplastrons, homologues of the clavicles of other reptiles, and the entoplastron, a homologue of the interclavicle) and dermal parts of the carapace [7,8]. The neural crest apparently contributes also to the dermal gastralia in crocodiles [7]. Marker expression was not observed in the endochondral shoulder girdle of crocodiles, which is lacking dermal clavicles. Finally, genetic labelling of zebrafish neural crest using a photoconvertible kikumeGR driven by the Sox10 promoter so far also did not reveal neural crest derivatives in the endochondral shoulder girdle of this fish species while this technique yields clear labelling of the hyoid and pharyngeal arches (G. Crump, pers. comm.). Taken together, these observations suggest that the axolotl may be not an extreme case but rather that the mouse may be the exception with respect to neural crest participation in the shoulder girdle. Hence, the transformational scenario suggested by Matsuoka et al. [9] requires reconsideration. As a plausible alternative, we propose that the neural crest population of cells in the endochondral shoulder girdle of the mouse is non-homologous to the cell population that builds the dermal skeleton (e.g., the cleithrum) of ancestral gnathostomes in the neck houlder region. During tetrapod evolution, 12926553 there was a substantial diminution ofthe dermal skeleton at the head to trunk transition region [4,20]. In our view, the axolotl illustrates this evolutionary loss of dermal shoulder girdle elements in tet.Ur neural fold grafts comprehensively labeled the neural crest, since we observed GFP+ cells in all neural crest derivatives (dorsal fin mesenchyme, melanophores, jaws and pharyngeal arches, dorsal root ganglia, Schwann cells, the truncus arteriosus and septa of the heart, and neurons and glial cells 1326631 of the enteric nervous system) from mid-head to mid-trunk levels (Fig. 2 b ). Strikingly, no GFP+ cells were found in the shoulder girdle, neither in theLack of Neural Crest in the Axolotl ShoulderFigure 1. Relations of the shoulder girdle to the embryonic and adult anatomy. According to the fate map by Stocum and Fallon [32], the shoulder girdle of the axolotl arises mainly from flank mesoderm as part of the embryonic limb field (left). The upper, scapular (sca), and the lower, coracoid (cor) parts of the shoulder girdle (right) originate from the specific areas of the limb field around the region, which gives rise to cartilage and connective tissues of the prospective free limb (fl) [32]. The shoulder girdle region is thus positioned just caudal to the branchial arches (ba), where the main streems of migrating neural crest cells pass. In adults, the coracoid plate of one side meets the contralateral counterpart along the ventral midline of the animal, while the upper scapular edge reaches the level of transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae. These parts of the shoulder girdle are cartilaginous (grey) in the axolotl throughout life, while the middle of the shoulder girdle (both in the scapula and the coracoid plate), from where the limb emerges, are ossified in adults. The anterior, cranial edge of the scapula bears the attachment sites of muscles (m. cuccularis, m. opercularis), which connect the shoulder girdle to the occipital bones of the skull. Other abbreviations: e, eye; prn, pronephros; s, somite, tv, thoracic vertebrae. Not to scale. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052244.g(HNK-1, PDGFRa) has suggested that neural crest contributes to the dermal plastron (epiplastrons, homologues of the clavicles of other reptiles, and the entoplastron, a homologue of the interclavicle) and dermal parts of the carapace [7,8]. The neural crest apparently contributes also to the dermal gastralia in crocodiles [7]. Marker expression was not observed in the endochondral shoulder girdle of crocodiles, which is lacking dermal clavicles. Finally, genetic labelling of zebrafish neural crest using a photoconvertible kikumeGR driven by the Sox10 promoter so far also did not reveal neural crest derivatives in the endochondral shoulder girdle of this fish species while this technique yields clear labelling of the hyoid and pharyngeal arches (G. Crump, pers. comm.). Taken together, these observations suggest that the axolotl may be not an extreme case but rather that the mouse may be the exception with respect to neural crest participation in the shoulder girdle. Hence, the transformational scenario suggested by Matsuoka et al. [9] requires reconsideration. As a plausible alternative, we propose that the neural crest population of cells in the endochondral shoulder girdle of the mouse is non-homologous to the cell population that builds the dermal skeleton (e.g., the cleithrum) of ancestral gnathostomes in the neck houlder region. During tetrapod evolution, 12926553 there was a substantial diminution ofthe dermal skeleton at the head to trunk transition region [4,20]. In our view, the axolotl illustrates this evolutionary loss of dermal shoulder girdle elements in tet.
