MicroRNAs in Neural Crest Development

The neural crest (NC) is a population of cells between the dorsal ectoderm and the neural tube in vertebrate embryos. Regulatory mechanisms ranging from epigenetics to microRNAs (miRNAs) to post-translational protein modifications, work coordinately to fine-tune NC activity. miRNAs affect genes transcriptionally by directly interacting with either their 3′UTR or their 5′UTR. Affected genes include those of chromatin-modifying enzymes such as EZH2 and KDM6B. A lack of optimal levels of chromatin-modifying enzymes may in turn affect miRNA biogenesis as well as the transcriptional regulation of other genes. Overall, noncoding RNA genes and protein-coding genes interact in a network that, when connected to chromatin regulation, affects the expression of both noncoding and coding genes in neural crest development. This chapter highlights that role.