@article{10902/20733, year = {2020}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10902/20733}, abstract = {Digits shape is sculpted by interdigital programmed cell death during limb development. Here, we show that DNA breakage in the periphery of 5-methylcytosine nuclei foci of interdigital precursors precedes cell death. These cells showed higher genome instability than the digit-forming precursors when exposed to X-ray irradiation or local bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) treatments. Regional but not global DNA methylation differences were found between both progenitors. DNA-Methyl-Transferases (DNMTs) including DNMT1, DNMT3B and, to a lesser extent, DNMT3A, exhibited well-defined expression patterns in regions destined to degenerate, as the interdigital tissue and the prospective joint regions. Dnmt3b functional experiments revealed an inverse regulation of cell death and cartilage differentiation, by transcriptional regulation of key genes including Sox9, Scleraxis, p21 and Bak1, via differential methylation of CpG islands across their promoters. Our findings point to a regulation of cell death versus chondrogenesis of limb skeletal precursors based on epigenetic mechanisms.}, organization = {We thank Prof. Miguel Lafarga for helpful comments and advice. We thank Dr Jose E Gomez-Arozamena for helping us with the irradiation experiments. We are grateful to Montse Fernandez Calderon, Susana Dawalibi, and Sonia Perez Mantecon, for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by a Grant (BFU2017–84046-P) from the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry to JAM. C.S.F is recipient of a FPI grant (BES-2015–074267).}, publisher = {Nature}, publisher = {Commun Biol . 2020 Jun 5;3(1):283.}, title = {The methylation status of the embryonic limb skeletal progenitors determines their cell fate in chicken}, author = {Sánchez Fernández, Cristina and Lorda Diez, Carlos Ignacio and Hurlé González, Juan M. and Montero Simón, Juan Antonio}, }