Figure 4. Metabolic transitions during neural crest development.

(A) Early pre-migratory neural crest cells initially exhibit low levels of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. As the cells become primed for epithelial to mesenchymal transition, they transition to a highly glycolytic state and undergo delamination and migration. After migration, neural crest cells differentiate and engage in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). (B) Estimated levels of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation during neural crest development. Neural crest cells undergo two main developmental transitions, when they transition from quiescent to glycolytic (1), and when they differentiate and display high levels of mitochondrial respiration (2). OXPHOS: Oxidative phosphorylation.