Overview
- Using the low-input Pico-C method, scientists generated high-resolution chromatin maps in fruit fly embryos as early as nuclear cycle 9, revealing loops and domains assembled prior to zygotic genome activation.
- The work shows genome organization precedes transcription, indicating 3D folding helps program which genes will activate during development.
- Artificial intelligence models support that DNA sequence encodes instructions for its own three-dimensional configuration.
- Depleting pioneer factors disrupted early chromatin organization, underscoring their role in establishing pre-activation structure.
- A companion study in human cells found that removing chromatin tethers collapsed genome architecture and triggered a misread viral-like immune response.