Chromatin architecture: A new dimension in the dynamic control of gene expression

Abstract

As the most recent evidence of eukaryotic cell complexity, genome architecturehas astounded the scientific community and prompted a variety of technical andcognitive challenges. Several technologies have emerged and evidenced theintegration of chromatin packaging and topology, epigenetic processes, andtranscription for the pertinent regulation of gene expression. In the presentaddendum we present and discuss some of our recent research, directedtowards the holistic comprehension of the processes by which plants respond toenvironmental and developmental stimuli. We propose that the study of genometopology and genomic interactions is essential for the understanding of themolecular mechanisms behind a phenotype. Even though our knowledge andunderstanding of genome architecture and hierarchy has improved substantiallyin the last few years -in Arabidopsis and other eukaryotes -, there is still a long way ahead in this relatively new field of study. For this, it is necessary to take advantage of the high resolution of the emerging available techniques, and perform integrative approaches with which it will be possible to depict the role of chromatin architecture in the regulation of transcription and ultimately, physiological processes.