FGF signalling regulates enhancer activation during ear progenitor induction

Abstract

The fibroblast growth factor pathway is essential for inner ear induction in many 3 vertebrates, however how it regulates the chromatin landscape to coordinate the 4 activation of otic genes remains unclear. Here we show that FGF exposure of 5 sensory progenitors leads to rapid deposition of active chromatin marks H3K27ac 6 near hundreds of FGF-responsive, otic-epibranchial progenitor (OEP) genes, while 7H3K27ac is depleted in the vicinity of non-otic genes. Genomic regions that gain 8H3K27ac act as cis-regulatory elements controlling OEP gene expression in time and 9 space and define a unique transcription factor signature likely to control their activity. 10