Polycomb Chromatin Topology Enables Long-Range Enhancer Recruitment during Craniofacial Development [Hi-C]

In mouse cranial neural crest cells, a Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent chromatin architecture is established before migration. This configuration maintains craniofacial gene promoters poised and connects them with distal Polycomb tethering elements, positioning promoters in spatial proximity to future long-range enhancers.

Deletion of Ezh2 disrupts this early topology, causing inappropriate gene derepression in post-migratory craniofacial subpopulations where these genes are normally silenced, and failure of long-range enhancer recruitment where activation is required, thereby impairing proper gene expression. We further identify a distal Polycomb tethering element essential for Hoxa2 enhancer recruitment across topologically associating domains.