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How DNA “Hubs” Shape the 3D Genome Architecture

16 Jan 2025

A team around Nicolai Siegel has uncovered how inter-chromosomal transcription hubs shape the 3D genome architecture.

Publication C. Rabuffo et al. 2025

© C. Rabuffo et al., Nature Comms, 2025

A team around Nicolai Siegel has uncovered how inter-chromosomal transcription hubs shape the 3D genome architecture of Trypanosoma brucei, a parasitic organism responsible for African sleeping sickness.

Using high-resolution DNA contact mapping (Micro-C), the team demonstrated that, beyond the expected intra-chromosomal interactions, transcription initiation sites from different chromosomes cluster into specialised hubs. This organisation may facilitate the coordinated transcription of specific genes and sheds light on how DNA is intricately packaged within the nucleus.

The findings, published in Nature Communications, highlight the importance of studying genome organization in evolutionarily divergent organisms, particularly those with small genomes where deep sequencing is affordable, and reveal an intricate pattern of inter-chromosomal DNA-DNA interactions.

Publikation: C. Rabuffo et al.: Inter-chromosomal transcription hubs shape the 3D genome architecture of African trypanosomes, Nature Communications 2024