Maryline Minoux

Abstract Little is known about how three-dimensional chromatin topology shapes mammalian craniofacial development. In mouse cranial neural crest cells, a Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent chromatin architecture is established before migration. This configuration maintains craniofacial gene promoters poised and connects them with distal Polycomb tethering elements, positioning promoters in spatial proximity to future long-range enhancers.

How is it that our earlobes are attached to our ears and not our chins? Diverse bits of facial structure are derived from migrating neural crest cells. The cells start out similar but end up building very different facial structures. Neural crest cells destined for one structure can be rerouted to develop others, however. Minoux et al. found that neural crest cells share prepatterned poised chromatin states that are established before the cells migrate and retained during migration.