The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase DCAF13 Is Essential for Craniofacial Development

Craniofacial morphogenesis requires precisely coordinated proliferation, migration, and differentiation of cranial neural crest (CNC) cells during development. Although DDB1- and CUL4-associated factor 13 (DCAF13) is known to play critical roles in early embryogenesis and tumorigenesis, its function in neural crest development remains unknown. Here, we identify a novel role for DCAF13 in craniofacial development. Conditional knockout of Dcaf13 in neural crest lineages resulted in severe craniofacial malformations characterized by impaired skeletal growth and differentiation. Mechanistically, DCAF13 deficiency in mesenchymal cells led to PTEN accumulation, a key negative regulator of PI3K/AKT signaling, thereby suppressing proliferation and differentiation of CNC-derived cells. Our findings establish DCAF13 as a crucial regulator of craniofacial morphogenesis through its control of the PTEN-PI3K/AKT signaling axis, which orchestrates neural crest cell proliferation and differentiation.