Metal transporter Slc30a1 controls pharyngeal neural crest differentiation via the zinc‐Snai2‐Jag1 cascade

The pharyngeal arch (PA) is a neural crest (NC)‐derived organ that is transiently developed during embryogenesis and is required for the subsequent development of various tissues. However, the role of zinc during PA differentiation from NC progenitor cells is unknown. Here, we found that the metal transporters Slc30a1a and Slc30a1b mediate zinc homeostasis during PA differentiation. Slc30a1‐deficient zebrafish develop zinc accumulation in NC cells, with increased expression of stemness markers and PA dorsal genes, and SMART‐seq analyses revealed that the genes snai2 and jag1b may serve as downstream targets. Furthermore, functional studies showed that knocking down either snai2 or jag1b rescues PA development in Slc30a1‐deficient zebrafish. Notably, we identified the double zinc‐finger domain in the transcription factor Snai2 as a zinc‐responsive element that regulates jag1b expression. Our findings indicate that the Slc30a1/zinc‐snai2‐jag1b axis is an essential regulatory network controlling PA differentiation, shedding new light on the function of zinc homeostasis in maintaining NC cell stemness and multipotency in vertebrates.