Murine Jagged1/Notch signaling in the second heart field orchestrates Fgf8 expression and tissue-tissue interactions during outflow tract development.

Notch signaling is vital for proper cardiovascular development and function in both humans and animal models. Indeed, mutations in either JAGGED or NOTCH cause congenital heart disease in humans and NOTCH mutations are associated with adult valvular disease. Notch typically functions to mediate developmental interactions between adjacent tissues.

Menin is required in cranial neural crest for palatogenesis and perinatal viability.

Menin is a nuclear protein encoded by a tumor suppressor gene that is mutated in humans with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). Menin functions as a component of a histone methyltransferase complex that regulates expression of target genes including the cell cycle inhibitor p27(kip1). Here, we show that menin plays a previously unappreciated and critical role in cranial neural crest.