Neural crest and periderm-specific requirements of during neural tube and craniofacial development.

is a key genetic determinant of syndromic and non-syndromic cleft lip and palate. The ability to interrogate post-embryonic requirements of has been hindered, as global ablation in the mouse causes neonatal lethality. Prior work analyzing in mouse models defined its role in the embryonic surface epithelium and periderm where it is required to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Several reports have also described gene expression in other cell types, such as muscle, and neuroectoderm. However, analysis of a functional role in non-epithelial cell lineages has been incomplete due to the severity and lethality of the knockout model and the paucity of work with a conditional allele. Here we describe the generation and characterization of a new floxed mouse model and analysis of ablation in periderm and neural crest lineages. This work found that loss of in periderm recapitulates a mild null phenotype, suggesting that -mediated signaling in periderm plays a crucial role in regulating embryonic development. Further, conditional ablation of in neural crest cells resulted in an anterior neural tube defect of variable penetrance. The generation of this conditional allele allows for new insights into craniofacial development and new exploration into the post-natal role of .