ABSTRACT
In people and other vertebrates, craniofacial development leads to formation of the skull, facial bones, and cartilage. Craniofacial development is complex, involving multiple cell types, with carefully coordinated cell movements, and is often disrupted, with disorders occurring in ~1/700 of live human births. The frog Xenopus has proven an outstanding model for understanding mechanisms of craniofacial development. Neural crest cells are unique to vertebrates and contribute a large part of the craniofacial skeleton. The mouth is conserved and essential, arising from ectodermal and endodermal cells. Multiple signaling pathways and regulatory genes are required for craniofacial development, including a major signaling center, the extreme anterior domain. Present treatments of craniofacial disorders are largely surgical. The need for definition of genes and molecular mechanisms underlying craniofacial disorders is critical and an area in which Xenopus is making key contributions. Xenopus remains one of the most accessible systems for uncovering connections to human craniofacial disorders.
