Conserved and species-specific chromatin remodeling and regulatory dynamics during mouse and chicken limb bud development

Chromatin remodeling and genomic alterations impact spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression, which is central to embryonic development. The analysis of mouse and chicken limb development provides important insights into the morphoregulatory mechanisms, however little is known about the regulatory differences underlying their morphological divergence. Here, we identify the underlying shared and species-specific epigenomic and genomic variations. In mouse forelimb buds, we observe striking synchrony between the temporal dynamics of chromatin accessibility and gene expression, while their divergence in chicken wing buds uncovers species-specific regulatory heterochrony. In silico mapping of transcription factor binding sites and computational footprinting establishes the developmental time-restricted transcription factor-DNA interactions. Finally, the construction of target gene networks for HAND2 and GLI3 transcriptional regulators reveals both conserved and species-specific interactions. Our analysis reveals the impact of genome evolution on the regulatory interactions orchestrating vertebrate limb bud morphogenesis and provides a molecular framework for comparative Evo-Devo studies.