TABLE 1.

Genes with Roles in Both Neural Crest Development and Cancer Progression

Gene	Role in Neural Crest Development	Role in Cancer Progression
Transcription factors
Snail/Slug	Induction of EMT10–13	Induction of EMT and metastasis3,14–19
Zeb	Induction of EMT and NC migration20–24	Induction of EMT and metastasis3,25
Sox10	NC differentiation (melanocytes) and survival26–30	Melanoma formation31
Twist	Induction of EMT and NC migration, differentiation32,33	Induction of EMT and metastasis34–36
Adhesion and polarity
Claudins and Occludins	Downregulated for migration37–40	Downregulation correlates with migration41
E-cadherin	Downregulated during NC specification42–44	Downregulation correlates with migration45
N-cadherin	Downregulated for NC delamination and migration10,42,46–48	Downregulation correlates with migration49,50
Crumbs complex	Polarity of NC cells51	Downregulation correlates with EMT52–55
Par complex	Polarity of NC cells51	Misregulation correlates with EMT56–59
Migration
MMPs and ADAMs	Degradation of ECM for NC migration60–65	Degradation of ECM for metastasis66–76
SDF1/CXCR4	Directional NC migration77–79	Metastasis and survival80,81
Ephrins and semaphorins	Directional NC migration8,82–85	Misregulated in cancer86,87

ECM, extracellular matrix; EMT, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; MMPs, matrix metalloproteinases; NC, neural crest.