Fig. 1 S1

Characterization of cultured crestin:EGFP+ cells.

(A) Cell size and morphology visualized by crestin:EGFP. (B) Percentage of crestin:EGFP+ cells determined by FACS. Bars indicate mean and points indicate independent experiments. (C) Crestin:EGFP+ cells are more migratory than a random population of cells. Points indicate individual cells in a single experiment. (D) Crestin:EGFP+ cells are slightly more proliferative than the culture average, as determined by EdU staining after 4 hr of EdU treatment. Mean and standard deviation of three frames from the same experiment are shown. Similar results were obtained in two independent experiments. (E) Crestin:EGFP+ cells cultured for 24 hr express neural crest genes comparable to freshly isolated (24 hpf) crestin:EGFP+ cells and do not express markers of more differentiated tissues. Gene expression was determined by qPCR and normalized to β-actin. The highest expressing sample for each group was assigned a value of 1. Average and standard deviation of three technical replicates are shown. Myf5 and runx1 are negative controls. Results are representative of three independent experiments. (F) Crestin:EGFP+ cells form pigmented melanocytes in vivo. Cells were sorted for crestin:EGFP after two days of culture and injected under the scale of a casper fish lacking endogenous melanocytes. Pigmented cells were observed at 4 days post transplant in 4/8 EGFP+ transplants and 0/10 EGFP- transplants. Student’s t-test was used for statistical analyses.