Morphogenetic movements during early neural crest development. (A) Schematic diagram of transverse sections through chick embryo during neurulation. Prospective neural crest cells reside in the neural plate border (green), a territory between the neural plate and the non-neural ectoderm. (B) As neurulation proceeds, the neural plate invaginates, resulting in the elevation of the neural folds, which contain neural crest precursors. (C) After neural tube closure, neural crest cells lose intercellular connections and undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Once they have delaminated from the neural tube, they migrate extensively to populate different niches throughout the embryo.
