Figure 1.

Migratory path of the cardiac neural crest cells as defined by the chick cardiac neural crest ablation model. Cardiac neural crest cells originate from the neural tube extending from the axial level of the mid otic placode to the third somite in chick. The cells then migrate from the neural tube into the caudal pharyngeal arches (3, 4 and 6). Some neural crest cells remain in the pharynx to support aortic arch artery development, while a subpopulation continues on to migrate into the outflow tract of the heart. Retroviral studies in chick and cre-lineage experiments in mouse show a neural crest contribution to the inflow near the cardiac conduction system (asterisk). The migration path and timing are uncertain. (Adapted from Kirby and Hutson, 2010).