What is it about?
Small molecules called microRNAs help young embryonic cells-neural crest cells-move, stop, and reorganize to build an important structure in the head called the trigeminal ganglion (the sensory hub for touch and pain in the face). We discovered two groups of microRNAs: -some that allow neural crest cells to start moving, and -others that later help them stop, stick together, and become neurons. We also showed that adding these “stop-and-stick-together” microRNAs to cells that normally do not form this structure can give them new abilities "reprogramming” their behavior.
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Photo by MJH SHIKDER on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This work is distinctive because it uncovers an entirely new layer of regulation in a classic developmental system. Neural crest cells are fundamental to vertebrate evolution and human craniofacial biology, yet most research has focused on transcription factors. The contribution of microRNAs—especially across the key epithelial and mesenchymal transitions that allow these cells to leave the neural tube and later reassemble into a ganglion—has remained largely unexplored. Our dataset fills this major gap by providing the first comprehensive map of microRNAs acting across both transitions. A particularly striking finding is that microRNAs can coax trunk neural crest cells to behave like cranial cells. This reveals that microRNAs help encode axial identity, with important implications for understanding congenital craniofacial disorders, regenerative strategies, and evolutionary innovations. Because epithelial–mesenchymal transitions are central not only to development but also to cancer progression and metabolic remodeling, these results have broad relevance. Our work offers new molecular entry points for developmental biology, cancer EMT/MET research, metabolism, and evolutionary biology—demonstrating how small RNAs orchestrate cell-state transitions with direct physiological consequences.
Perspectives
For me, this paper captures a question I have been thinking about for years: how do neural crest cells “know” when to migrate and when to stop and assemble into complex structures? We often focus on transcription factors, but I always suspected that something else—something small and fast-acting—was helping fine-tune these transitions. Identifying these core microRNAs, and seeing how strongly they shape neural crest identity and behavior, was both scientifically exciting and personally meaningful. This study reflects the dedication of our team, the creativity of our trainees, our colaborators, and the long-standing fascination our lab has with the neural crest. I hope these findings inspire others to look at microRNAs not just as regulators, but as powerful modulators of developmental plasticity and identity.
Pablo Strobl-Mazzulla
Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús. ARGENTINA
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Core microRNAs regulate neural crest delamination and condensation in the developing trigeminal ganglion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2517668122.
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