Dear Colleagues,

In eukaryotes, genomic DNA is highly organized in interphase nuclei in three-dimensional space, including enhancer-promoter communication, and three-dimensional genome organization and epigenetic modifications have been shown to be related to gene regulation closely. Dysregulation of chromatin interactions or epigenetic signatures has been implicated in abnormal development and various diseases. However, a comprehensive understanding of control of genome organization and epigenetic regulation is still elusive. This Special Issue focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism of genome folding or related epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation in human and all model organisms.

Increasing evidence suggests that genetic information, transcription regulators, and epigenetic modifications are involved in actively regulating chromatin interactions, including regulating the specificity and strength of enhancer-promoter contacts. It has been observed that enhancers are able to touch their target promoter physically, and a ring-like protein complex called cohesin is needed to bridge these contacts. Although the DNA loop extrusion model has been proposed to explain how cohesin works, the detailed mechanisms that control the uploading, sliding, pausing, and releasing of cohesin are largely unknown, and how the transcription factors and transcription regulators, such as CTCF, YY1 and mediators, are regulated to facilitate the formation of chromatin contacts is still unclear. More recently, although epigenetic modifications and epigenetic regulator BRD4, which can drive phase separation and chromatin compartmentation, began to be linked to three-dimensional genome organization, complicated linkages among these biological processes remain to be further studied. This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original articles, comments, and reviews exploring the principles of chromatin folding and epigenetic regulation and providing insights to any of the above or related issues.

Dr. Ya Guo
Dr. Yue Wu
Dr. Guojun Hou
Dr. Shuang Cui
Guest Editors

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• 3D genome
• enhancer-promoter communication
• DNA loop extrusion
• cohesin
• TADs
• contact domains
• chromatin loops
• A/B compartments
• subcompartments
• CTCF