Researchers at the CNAG-CRG and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have developed TADdyn, a tool that can generate movies of how genomes change over time. This gives a more real view of the genome, which is highly dynamic, than do the static pictures of genomes that have been used so far.
TADdyn will help researchers worldwide learn much more about the direct relationship between structure and function in the genome
TADdyn’s function has been tested in white blood cells, studying changes in 21 different areas across the mouse genome.
The movies showed that gene activation correlates with the appearance of ‘cage-like’ structures enriched with active chromatin.
The authors conclude that these structures may constitute a general feature to trigger and maintain gene transcription.
Di Stefano, M., Stadhouders, R., Farabella, I. et al. Transcriptional activation during cell reprogramming correlates with the formation of 3D open chromatin hubs. Nat Commun 11, 2564 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16396-1
