Editorial overview: Drivers, droplets, and deeds of nuclear genome organization

Abstract

The spatial or three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the genome is intimately linked to the regulation of gene expression, and the mechanisms driving it remain an area of intense investigation. In this issue, we are joined by a group of leading experts in the field of spatial genome architecture and gene expression, who each offer their perspectives on a particular aspect and future of this evolving field. We begin the issue with articles on mechanisms and genomic elements that drive structural looping and folding of the genome and include contributions on recent advances in biochemical, computational, and imaging methods that inform current models of genome architecture. These are followed by a set of reviews that focus on genome organization within the nuclear space and the roles of nuclear bodies, scaffolds, and microenvironments in functional compartmentalization of the genome and in promoting architectural structure. Finally, we conclude with contributions on the functions of 3D genome architecture in developmental regulation, epigenetic inheritance, and responses to environmental signals, highlighting our growing understanding of how genome architecture informs the regulation of gene expression.