Cis-regulatory evolution shapes facial diversity in birds and mammals

Cis-regulatory evolution shapes facial diversity in birds and mammals

Abstract Birds and mammals exhibit extraordinary facial diversity, reflecting adaptations to distinct ecological niches and feeding strategies. While core face-building developmental programs are conserved and orchestrated by interactions between ectodermal organizers and the underlying mesenchyme, mechanisms driving facial shape variation remain poorly understood. Here, we integrate single-cell transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profili…