DamC reveals principles of chromatin folding in vivo without crosslinking and ligation

TADs and Their Borders: Free Movement or Building a Wall?

The tridimensional (3D) organization of mammalian genomes combines structures from different length scales. Within this organization, Topologically Associating Domains (TADs) are visible in Hi-C heat maps at the sub-megabase scale. The integrity of TADs is important for correct gene expression, but in a context-dependent and variable manner. The correct structure and function of TADs require the binding of the CTCF protein at both borders, which appears to block an active and dynamic mechanism of "Cohesin-mediated loop extrusion." As a result, mammalian TADs appear as so-called "loop domains" in Hi-C data, which are the focus of this review. Here, we present a reanalysis of TADs from three "golden-standard" mammalian Hi-C data sets. Despite the prominent presence of TADs in Hi-C heat maps from all studies, we find consistently that regions within these domains are only moderately insulated from their surroundings. Moreover, single-cell Hi-C and superresolution microscopy have revealed that the structure of TADs and the position of their borders can vary from cell to cell. The function of TADs as units of gene regulation may thus require additional aspects, potentially incorporating the mechanism of loop extrusion as well. Recent developments in single-cell and multi-contact genomics and superresolution microscopy assays will be instrumental to link TAD formation and structure to their function in transcriptional regulation.

Methods for mapping 3D chromosome architecture

Determining how chromosomes are positioned and folded within the nucleus is critical to understanding the role of chromatin topology in gene regulation. Several methods are available for studying chromosome architecture, each with different strengths and limitations. Established imaging approaches and proximity ligation-based chromosome conformation capture (3C) techniques (such as DNA-FISH and Hi-C, respectively) have revealed the existence of chromosome territories, functional nuclear landmarks (such as splicing speckles and the nuclear lamina) and topologically associating domains. Improvements to these methods and the recent development of ligation-free approaches, including GAM, SPRITE and ChIA-Drop, are now helping to uncover new aspects of 3D genome topology that confirm the nucleus to be a complex, highly organized organelle.

The Role of Insulation in Patterning Gene Expression

Development is orchestrated by regulatory elements that turn genes ON or OFF in precise spatial and temporal patterns. Many safety mechanisms prevent inappropriate action of a regulatory element on the wrong gene promoter. In flies and mammals, dedicated DNA elements (insulators) recruit protein factors (insulator binding proteins, or IBPs) to shield promoters from regulatory elements. In mammals, a single IBP called CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is known, whereas genetic and biochemical analyses in Drosophila have identified a larger repertoire of IBPs. How insulators function at the molecular level is not fully understood, but it is currently thought that they fold chromosomes into conformations that affect regulatory element-promoter communication. Here, we review the discovery of insulators and describe their properties. We discuss recent genetic studies in flies and mice to address the question: Is gene insulation important for animal development? Comparing and contrasting observations in these two species reveal that they have different requirements for insulation, but that insulation is a conserved and critical gene regulation strategy.