Reactivation of the pluripotency program precedes formation of the cranial neural crest
Antoine Zalc, Rahul Sinha, Gunsagar S. Gulati, Daniel J. Wesche, Patrycja Daszczuk, Tomek Swigut, Irving L. Weissman, Joanna Wysocka
Abstract
Reactivating neural crest pluripotency Cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) are a transient cell group with an extraordinary differentiation potential that extends beyond its ectodermal lineage to form the majority of facial mesenchyme. Zalc et al. identified a neuroepithelial precursor population that transiently reactivates pluripotency factors to generate CNCCs. The pluripotency factor Oct4 is required for the expansion of CNCC developmental potential to form facial mesenchyme. Analysis of the chromatin landscape of Oct4 + CNCC precursors showed that these cells resemble those of epiblast stem cells, with additional features suggestive of future priming for neural crest programs. Thus, to expand their cellular potency, CNCC precursors undergo a natural in vivo reprogramming event. Science , this issue p. eabb4776