Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Harris, Hannah L
• Rowley, M Jordan

Titel

Mechanistic drivers of chromatin organization into compartments

Ist Teil von

• Current opinion in genetics & development, 2024-06, Vol.86, p.102193-102193, Article 102193

Ort / Verlag

England: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

ScienceDirect

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The human genome is not just a simple string of DNA, it is a complex and dynamic entity intricately folded within the cell’s nucleus. This three-dimensional organization of chromatin, the combination of DNA and proteins in the nucleus, is crucial for many biological processes and has been prominently studied for its intricate relationship to gene expression. Indeed, the transcriptional machinery does not operate in isolation but interacts intimately with the folded chromatin structure. Techniques for chromatin conformation capture, including genome-wide sequencing approaches, have revealed key organizational features of chromatin, such as the formation of loops by CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) and the division of loci into chromatin compartments. While much of the recent research and reviews have focused on CTCF loops, we discuss several new revelations that have emerged concerning chromatin compartments, with a particular focus on what is known about mechanistic drivers of compartmentalization. These insights challenge the traditional views of chromatin organization and reveal the complexity behind the formation and maintenance of chromatin compartments. [Display omitted] •Recent work indicates that chromatin compartments can finely segregate genomic intervals that are 1–2 kb in size.•Evidence both supports and refutes several current proposed mechanistic drivers of compartmentalization.•New insights into the role of the nuclear lamina, polycomb-repressive chromatin, and chromatin compartments.•A proposed model to explain gene body compartment transitions associated with transcription.•A proposed model of multiple compartment flavors based on shared chromatin compatibilities.