chick_NC-GRN_RData

Precise control of developmental processes is encoded in the genome in the form of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Current understanding of vertebrate embryonic GRNs is fragmentary due to complex cell-type and developmental composition. Here we present a genome-wide <i>in vivo</i> study of the GRN underlying neural crest (NC), an emblematic stem cell-like population with unique migratory ability and multipotency. Analysis of NC chromatin and transcriptional dynamics<i> </i>revealed the full complement of NC enhancers and transcription factor inputs including ‘super-enhancer’-like clusters, which we tested using <i>in vivo</i> reporters and epigenome engineering. Integration of <i>cis</i>-regulatory and single-cell data enabled construction and functional validation of the NC-GRN at unprecedented resolution. Our integrated approach allowing dissection of cell-type-specific gene regulatory circuits <i>in vivo </i>has broad implications for GRN discovery and investigation.<br>