UHRF genes regulate programmed interdigital tissue regression and chondrogenesis in the embryonic limb

In conclusion, our study uncovers a new level of regulation of interdigital apoptosis and cell senescence upstream of the components of the intrinsic pathway responsible for executing cell death in embryonic systems.

Furthermore, our findings indicate that the balance between cell differentiation and cell stemness may be a central step in the initiation of the so-called “programmed cell death” associated with embryonic morphogenesis.

The epigenetic functional profile of Uhrf genes in most studied systems, together with the changes in DNA methylation observed in our functional experiments, suggests that the structural organization of the chromatin may be a critical factor in the regulation of embryonic cell death and cell senescence.