Preparation and Morphological Analysis of Chick Cranial Neural Crest Cell CulturesBridget T. Jacques-Fricke 1, Julaine Roffers-Agarwal 2,3, Callie M. Gustafson 2,3, Laura S. Gammill 2,3
1Department of Biology and Neuroscience Program, Hamline University, 2Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, 3Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota
This versatile protocol describes the isolation of premigratory neural crest cells (NCCs) through the excision of cranial neural folds from chick embryos. Upon plating and incubation, migratory NCCs emerge from neural fold explants, allowing for assessment of cell morphology and migration in a simplified 2D environment.