# The regulation and cellular dynamics of neural crest cell delamination in mammalian craniofacial development

> **NIH NIH F31** · STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH · 2022 · $31,552

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Craniofacial anomalies account for a third of all human congenital birth defects and significantly impact
national health care budgets. Affected individuals typically undergo multiple surgeries throughout their lifetime,
which are rarely fully corrective. Therefore, it is critical to develop therapies for improved prognosis and
prevention, but this can only come from a better understanding of the genetic and cellular mechanisms
governing craniofacial development and the etiology and pathogenesis of individual disorders. Disruptions in
neural crest cell (NCC) development are considered the underlying cause of many craniofacial birth defects.
Therefore, understanding the genetic and cellular mechanisms that regulate NCC development and their
ultimate generation of craniofacial tissue is crucial for developing preventative therapies and improved surgical
prognosis.
 Delamination from the neuroepithelium is a critical step in the formation of migrating NCC. However,
the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing NCC delamination in mammalian embryos are poorly
understood. Delamination is a biophysical process by which a cell departs its tissue environment, and my
extensive preliminary data indicates that cell extrusion may be a novel mechanism facilitating cranial NCC
delamination. This proposal focuses on cell extrusion and will broaden our understanding of NCC delamination
by elucidating the cellular and genetic systems regulating NCC delamination via cell extrusion. Aim1 will
visualize and capture the dynamic cytoarchitectural and morphological changes that drive cranial NCC
delamination in mouse embryos. Aim2 will investigate the role of Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel in
cranial NCC delamination and craniofacial development. The impact of Piezo1 loss-of-function on NCC
delamination and craniofacial development will be analyzed through null and conditional genetic knock out of
Piezo1 mechanosensitive ion channels in mouse embryos. The downstream regulatory network and signaling
pathways will then be elucidated through transcriptomic comparisons measuring the differences in candidate
downstream regulators between wild type and knock out embryos. Completion of the study will advance
fundamental knowledge and further our understanding of neural crest cell and craniofacial development and of
congenital birth defects.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10535005
- **Project number:** 1F31DE032256-01
- **Recipient organization:** STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Emma Zajic
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $31,552
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10535005

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10535005, The regulation and cellular dynamics of neural crest cell delamination in mammalian craniofacial development (1F31DE032256-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10535005. Licensed CC0.

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