Pluripotency in 3D: genome organization in pluripotent cells.

Cells face the challenge of storing two meters of DNA in the three-dimensional (3D) space of the nucleus that spans only a few microns. The nuclear organization that is required to overcome this challenge must allow for the accessibility of the gene regulatory machinery to the DNA and, in the case of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), for the transcriptional and epigenetic changes that accompany differentiation. Recent technological advances have allowed for the mapping of genome organization at an unprecedented resolution and scale. These breakthroughs have lead to a deluge of new data, and a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between gene regulation and 3D genome organization is beginning to form. In this review we summarize some of the recent findings illuminating the 3D structure of the eukaryotic genome, as well as the relationship between genome topology and function from the level of whole chromosomes to enhancer-promoter loops with a focus on features affecting genome organization in ESCs and changes in nuclear organization during differentiation.

细胞面临着在仅有几微米的细胞核三维空间中储存两米长的DNA这一挑战。为克服这一挑战所需的核组织必须使基因调控机制能够接近DNA，并且对于胚胎干细胞（ESCs）而言，要适应分化所伴随的转录和表观遗传变化。近期的技术进步使得能够以前所未有的分辨率和规模绘制基因组组织图谱。这些突破带来了大量新数据，并且对基因调控和三维基因组组织之间关系的深入理解正在开始形成。在这篇综述中，我们总结了一些近期的研究结果，这些结果阐明了真核生物基因组的三维结构，以及从整个染色体水平到增强子 - 启动子环的基因组拓扑结构与功能之间的关系，重点关注影响胚胎干细胞中基因组组织的特征以及分化过程中核组织的变化。