AUTHOR=Lu Junjie , Peng Bo , Wang Wenyi , Zou Yi 

TITLE=Epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk: the scriptwriter of craniofacial morphogenesis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2024.1497002

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2024.1497002

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMI) are fundamental mechanisms in regulating development and organogenesis. Here we summarized the signaling mechanisms involved in EMI in the major developmental events during craniofacial morphogenesis, including neural crest cell induction, facial primordial growth as well as fusion processes. Regional specificity/polarity are demonstrated in the expression of most signaling molecules that usually act in a mutually synergistic/antagonistic manner. The underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis due to disrupted EMI was also discussed in this review.