外胚层是在原肠胚形成过程中出现的早期胚胎的三个胚层中的最外层。一旦胚层建立起来,细胞增殖的复杂相互作用,分化,迁移导致器官发生。外胚层是表面外胚层和神经外胚层的祖先。值得注意的是,表面外胚层发育成表皮及其相关附属物,指甲,外部外分泌腺,嗅觉上皮,和垂体前叶.规格,发展,这些器官的稳态需要一个紧密协调的基因表达程序,这通常是由表观遗传调控决定的。在这次审查中,我们讨论了最近的发现,这些发现强调了转录因子介导的染色质调节机制的重要性,组蛋白和DNA修饰有助于表面外胚层器官的发育并维持其稳态。
The ectoderm is the outermost of the three germ layers of the early embryo that arise during gastrulation. Once the germ layers are established, the complex interplay of cellular proliferation, differentiation, and migration results in organogenesis. The ectoderm is the progenitor of both the surface ectoderm and the neural ectoderm. Notably, the surface ectoderm develops into the epidermis and its associated appendages, nails, external exocrine glands, olfactory epithelium, and the anterior pituitary. Specification, development, and homeostasis of these organs demand a tightly orchestrated gene expression program that is often dictated by epigenetic regulation. In this review, we discuss the recent discoveries that have highlighted the importance of chromatin regulatory mechanisms mediated by transcription factors, histone and DNA modifications that aid in the development of surface ectodermal organs and maintain their homeostasis post-development.