Cranial neural crest cells of E11.5 wild type and FAK mutants (valle-affy-mouse-480721)

Cranial neural crest cells (NCC) give rise to the majority of the cartilage, bone, connective tissue, and sensory ganglia in the head, and also participate in the remodeling of the cardiac outflow tract and pharyngeal arch arteries during cardiovascular development. Our preliminary results show that targeted deletion of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in murine NCC results in cardiovascular and craniofacial alterations, resembling human congenital heart diseases The objective of this project is to elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which FAK mediates NCC function during development.

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