Trunk neural crest cells leave the neural tube and take either a ventromedial route through the somites or a dorsolateral route between the ectoderm and the dermomyotome. Cells migrating exclusively along the dorsolateral pathway give rise to:
- A Neurones of the dorsal root ganglia
- B Melanocytes of the skin ✓
- C Chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla
- D Postganglionic neurones of the sympathetic chain
Explanation
The dorsolateral pathway, running under the ectoderm above the dermomyotome, is taken by melanoblast precursors, which later colonise the epidermis and hair follicles as melanocytes. All three distractor populations arise from cells taking the ventromedial pathway through the anterior half of each sclerotome: sensory neurones form the dorsal root ganglia while sympathetic neurones and adrenal medullary chromaffin cells derive from cells reaching the dorsal aorta.
Reference: Langman's Medical Embryology, 14th ed.
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