Epigenetic dynamics shaping melanophore and iridophore cell fate in zebrafish

We charted the global changes in the epigenetic landscape, including DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility, during neural crest differentiation into melanophores and iridophores in zebrafish to identify epigenetic determinants shaping cell type-specific gene expression. Motif enrichment in the epigenetically dynamic regions revealed putative transcription factors that might be responsible for driving pigment cell identity. Through this effort, in the relatively uncharacterized iridophores, we validate alx4a as a necessary and sufficient transcription factor for iridophore differentiation and present evidence on alx4a's potential regulatory role in guanine synthesis pathway. Overall design: ATAC-seq, RNA-Seq, WGBS were generated for 15 somite NCC, 24 hpf NCC, 4-5 dpf Melanophore, and 4-5 dpf Iridophore cells from zebrafish.