AP-2α and AP-2β cooperatively function in the craniofacial surface ectoderm to regulate chromatin and gene expression dynamics during facial development

ABSTRACT The facial surface ectoderm is essential for normal development of the underlying cranial neural crest cell populations, providing signals that direct appropriate growth, patterning, and morphogenesis. Despite the importance of the ectoderm as a signaling center, the molecular cues and genetic programs implemented within this tissue are understudied. Here we show that removal of two members of the AP-2 transcription factor family, AP-2α and AP-2ß, within the early embryonic ectoderm leads to major alterations in the mouse craniofacial complex. Significantly, there are clefts in both the upper face and mandible, accompanied by fusion of the upper and lower jaws in the hinge region. Comparison of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq analyses between controls and mutants revealed significant changes in chromatin accessibility and gene expression centered on multiple AP-2 binding motifs associated with enhancer elements within these ectodermal lineages. In particular, loss of these AP-2 proteins affects both skin differentiation as well as multiple signaling pathways, most notably the WNT pathway. The role of reduced Wnt signaling throughput in the mutant phenotype was further confirmed using reporter assays and rescue experiments involving Wnt1 ligand overexpression. Collectively, these findings highlight a conserved ancestral function for AP-2 transcription factors in ectodermal development and signaling, and provide a framework from which to understand the gene regulatory network operating within this tissue that directs vertebrate craniofacial development.