Hierarchical folding and reorganization of chromosomes are linked to transcriptional changes in cellular differentiation

• Published in: Molecular systems biology Vol. 11; no. 12; pp. 852 - n/a
• Main Authors: Fraser, James, Ferrai, Carmelo, Chiariello, Andrea M, Schueler, Markus, Rito, Tiago, Laudanno, Giovanni, Barbieri, Mariano, Moore, Benjamin L, Kraemer, Dorothee CA, Aitken, Stuart, Xie, Sheila Q, Morris, Kelly J, Itoh, Masayoshi, Kawaji, Hideya, Jaeger, Ines, Hayashizaki, Yoshihide, Carninci, Piero, Forrest, Alistair RR, Semple, Colin A, Dostie, Josée, Pombo, Ana, Nicodemi, Mario
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.12.2015; EMBO Press; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Springer Nature
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell division; Cells, Cultured; Chromatin; Chromatin - chemistry; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; chromatin contacts; chromosome architecture; Chromosomes; Chromosomes - chemistry; Datasets; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Differentiation (biology); DNA; Domains; EMBO09; EMBO11; EMBO17; Epigenesis, Genetic; epigenetics; Folding; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Genomes; Innovations; Mammals; Mice; Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells - cytology; Neurons; Neurons - cytology; Packaging; polymer modelling; Stem cells; Structural hierarchy; Substructures; Transcription; Transcription, Genetic; Trees; United Kingdom > UK; Japan; polymer modelling; chromosome architecture; chromatin contacts; epigenetics; gene expression
• ISSN: 1744-4292; 1744-4292
• DOI: 10.15252/msb.20156492

Mammalian chromosomes fold into arrays of megabase‐sized topologically associating domains (TADs), which are arranged into compartments spanning multiple megabases of genomic DNA. TADs have internal substructures that are often cell type specific, but their higher‐order organization remains elusive. Here, we investigate TAD higher‐order interactions with Hi‐C through neuronal differentiation and show that they form a hierarchy of domains‐within‐domains (metaTADs) extending across genomic scales up to the range of entire chromosomes. We find that TAD interactions are well captured by tree‐like, hierarchical structures irrespective of cell type. metaTAD tree structures correlate with genetic, epigenomic and expression features, and structural tree rearrangements during differentiation are linked to transcriptional state changes. Using polymer modelling, we demonstrate that hierarchical folding promotes efficient chromatin packaging without the loss of contact specificity, highlighting a role far beyond the simple need for packing efficiency. Synopsis Genome‐wide mapping of chromatin architecture reveals a hierarchical folding of chromatin that involves higher‐order domains interactions across the whole chromosomes, reflects epigenomic features and reorganizes upon differentiation‐induced gene expression changes. Chromatin architecture is mapped genome‐wide using Hi‐C and a neuronal differentiation model from mESC to post‐mitotic neurons. Mammalian chromosomes fold hierarchically in a manner that reflects epigenomic features and involves higher‐order domains (metaTADs) up to the chromosome scale. metaTAD topologies are relatively conserved through differentiation, and their reorganization is related to gene expression changes. Polymer modelling shows that hierarchical chromatin folding promotes efficient packaging without the loss of contact specificity. Graphical Abstract Genome‐wide mapping of chromatin architecture reveals a hierarchical folding of chromatin that involves higher‐order domains interactions across the whole chromosomes, reflects epigenomic features and reorganizes upon differentiation‐induced gene expression changes.