The transcriptional regulator Prdm1 is a master gene for the early development of the sensory whisker follicle and is wired to the Lef1 circuitry [CUT&TAG]

Prdm1 encodes the transcriptional repressor PRDM1/BLIMP1 and Prdm1 mutant mice are one of the rare mutant strains that do not develop whisker hair follicles while still displaying a pelage. We demonstrate that Lef1, a key mediator of the Wnt/Beta Catenin pathway, acts upstream of Prdm1 and identify a primate specific deletion of a Lef1 enhancer, Leaf. This loss may have been significant in the evolutionary process, leading to the progressive defunctionalization and disappearance of vibrissae in primates. 3 whisker pads from e12 whisker pads were microdissected, digested to a single cell suspension and processed with the CUT&Tag protocol.