Genome architecture is the multiscale spatial organization of genomic DNA and chromatin within the cell nucleus, encompassing the physical arrangement, folding, and interaction patterns through which chromosomes occupy three-dimensional nuclear space. In eukaryotic cells, this organization comprises nested structural levels that include nucleosome-associated chromatin, chromatin loops, topologically associating domains, larger chromatin compartments, and chromosome territories [1][2][3]. Genome architecture is characterized by non-random contact frequencies among genomic regions and by dynamic transitions in chromatin configuration that occur while the underlying DNA sequence remains spatially organized within the nucleus [1][2]. Architectural organization is generated and maintained through the physical properties of chromatin together with molecular processes involving structural proteins such as cohesin and CTCF, chromatin-associated factors, transcriptional machinery, and epigenetic states [2][3][4]. The concept therefore covers the three-dimensional topology, hierarchical folding, spatial positioning, interaction domains, and dynamic conformational organization of the genome as a chromatin-based molecular system [3][4].
🔵 Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics • 🟣 Molecular Biology • 🟡 Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology • 🔴 Life Sciences