Nuclear localization of Goosecoid is positively associated with neuroblast identity during the early development of the chicken inner ear

During development of the inner ear, the movement and fate of progenitor cells must be carefully regulated for the adult organism to hear properly. Neuroblast delamination is the migration of neural progenitor cells from the developing otic epithelium and towards the hindbrain to create the vestibulocochlear nerve. The purpose of this research is to investigate the expression of the transcription factor Goosecoid (GSC) during neuroblast delamination in chickens. GSC is an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor that regulates changes in cell movement in several different contexts. Given this conserved function, GSC may be promoting neuroblast delamination in the chicken otocyst. Immunofluorescence was used to track the expression of GSC within migrating neuroblasts. Interestingly, the pattern of GSC localization varies among cells, with nuclear localization of GSC being positively associated with neuroblast cell identity.