ADNP regulates chromatin architecture and lineage fidelity during neural differentiation

Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) is frequently mutated in autism spectrum disorder and causal in its namesake neurodevelopmental syndrome. In mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), ADNP forms the ChAHP complex to function in gene regulation as well as genome organization, where it competes with binding of the architectural protein CTCF. However, it is unclear whether these functions persist in differentiated cells. To shed light on this question, we have established an ADNP-degron cell line to examine CTCF binding, gene expression and chromatin organization upon ADNP loss in neural progenitor cells (NPCs).