Cited by 676Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsNuclear Structure and FunctionChromosomal and Genetic Variations

Heterochromatin drives compartmentalization of inverted and conventional nuclei

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Falk, Martin, Feodorova, Yana, Naumova, Natalia, Imakaev, Maxim, Lajoie, Bryan R., Leonhardt, Heinrich, Joffe, Boris, Dekker, Job +3 more·2019·Nature

Abstract

The nucleus of mammalian cells displays a distinct spatial segregation of active euchromatic and inactive heterochromatic regions of the genome 1,2. In conventional nuclei, microscopy shows that euchromatin is localized in the nuclear interior and heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery 1,2. Genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) analyses show this segregation as a plaid pattern of contact enrichment within euchromatin and heterochromatin compartments 3, and depletion between them. Many mechanisms for the formation of compartments have been proposed, such as attraction of heterochromatin to the nuclear lamina 2,4, preferential attraction of similar chromatin to each other 1,4-12, higher levels of chromatin mobility in active chromatin 13-15 and transcription-related clustering of euchromatin 16,17. However, these hypotheses have remained inconclusive, owing to the difficulty of disentangling intra-chromatin and chromatin-lamina interactions in conventional nuclei 18. The marked reorganization of interphase chromosomes in the inverted nuclei of rods in nocturnal mammals 19,20 provides an opportunity to elucidate the mechanisms that underlie spatial compartmentalization. Here we combine Hi-C analysis of inverted rod nuclei with microscopy and polymer simulations. We find that attractions between heterochromatic regions are crucial for establishing both compartmentalization and the concentric shells of pericentromeric heterochromatin, facultative heterochromatin and euchromatin in the inverted nucleus. When interactions between heterochromatin and the lamina are added, the same model recreates the conventional nuclear organization. In addition, our models allow us to rule out mechanisms of compartmentalization that involve strong euchromatin interactions. Together, our experiments and modelling suggest that attractions between heterochromatic regions are essential for the phase separation of the active and inactive genome in inverted and conventional nuclei, whereas interactions of the chromatin with the lamina are necessary to build the conventional architecture from these segregated phases.

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  • Despite the disruption of Lamin B1, the A/B compartmentalization of the genome remained relatively unaffected.

    “Despite the disruption of Lamin B1, the A/B compartmentalization of the genome remained relatively unaffected which is in concordance with the observations in retinal rod neurons, where despite the loss of heterochromatin interactions with the nuclear lamina, phase separation drives the formation of A/B compartments135.”

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Authors
Falk, M., Feodorova, Y., Naumova, N., Imakaev, M., Lajoie, B. R., Leonhardt, H., Joffe, B., Dekker, J., Fudenberg, G., Solovei, I., & Mirny, L. A.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • Medical University Plovdiv (BG)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
  • Gladstone Institutes (US)
Corresponding author
  • Fudenberg, Geoffrey
  • Solovei, Irina
  • Mirny, Leonid A.
Venue
Nature
Published
2019-06
Volume
570
Issue
7761
Pages
395-399
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2948487481
Cited by
646
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 50 · 2025: 84 · 2024: 95 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 116 · 2020: 88 · 2019: 33
FWCI
28.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship@UMassChan (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (RM1HG007743, R01HG003143)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM114190)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U54DK107980)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nuclear Structure and Function
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
Keywords
nuclear compartmentalization, heterochromatin, rod photoreceptors, nuclear lamina, euchromatin, pericentromeric heterochromatin, facultative heterochromatin, phase separation, chromosome conformation, chromatin organization, polymer simulation
MeSH terms
Animals, Cell Compartmentation, Cell Nucleus, Heterochromatin, Models, Biological, Time Factors, Euchromatin, Nuclear Lamina, Mice

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