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- Title
Nuclear organization of active and inactive chromatin domains uncovered by chromosome conformation capture-on-chip (4C).
- Authors
Simonis, Marieke; Klous, Petra; Splinter, Erik; Moshkin, Yuri; Willemsen, Rob; de Wit, Elzo; van Steensel, Bas; de Laat, Wouter
- Abstract
The spatial organization of DNA in the cell nucleus is an emerging key contributor to genomic function. We developed 4C technology (chromosome conformation capture (3C)-on-chip), which allows for an unbiased genome-wide search for DNA loci that contact a given locus in the nuclear space. We demonstrate here that active and inactive genes are engaged in many long-range intrachromosomal interactions and can also form interchromosomal contacts. The active beta-globin locus in fetal liver preferentially contacts transcribed, but not necessarily tissue-specific, loci elsewhere on chromosome 7, whereas the inactive locus in fetal brain contacts different transcriptionally silent loci. A housekeeping gene in a gene-dense region on chromosome 8 forms long-range contacts predominantly with other active gene clusters, both in cis and in trans, and many of these intra- and interchromosomal interactions are conserved between the tissues analyzed. Our data demonstrate that chromosomes fold into areas of active chromatin and areas of inactive chromatin and establish 4C technology as a powerful tool to study nuclear architecture.
- Publication
Nature genetics, 2006, Vol 38, Issue 11, p1348
- ISSN
1061-4036
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1038/ng1896