The transcriptional regulator Prdm1 is a master gene for the early development of the sensory whisker follicle and is wired to the Lef1 circuitry [4C-seq]

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. 120 whisker pads from e12.5 embryos were microdissected and digested to a single cell suspension and processed with the 4C-Seq protocol per condition. The murine adult kidneys were used as control.