Around the time of gastrulation in higher vertebrate embryos, inductive interactions direct cells to form central nervous system (neural plate) or sensory placodes. Grafts of different tissues into ...

Both ectodermal placode and neural crest cells make up the ganglia, but little is known about the formative mechanisms. Shiau and colleagues now report that Robo2/Slit1 signaling is essential for ...

The entire inner ear and the neurons that innervate it derive from a simple piece of embryonic ectoderm next to the hindbrain called the otic placode. This ectoderm thickens, invaginates and folds up ...