Three-dimensional folding dynamics of the Xenopus tropicalis genome

How 3D genome structures take shape

26 November 2021

A study of three-dimensional genome folding during the early stages of frog embryo development has demonstrated how compartmentalized loops form within chromosomes. These ‘topologically associating domains’ (TADs) are critical for proper gene regulation — and their aberrant patterning could account for developmental defects and disease.

To map the dynamics of TADs, researchers at SUSTech and elsewhere analysed the physical interactions between different spots on chromosomes at different stages in the early development of the western clawed frog.

The results revealed that the establishment of TADs in early frog embryos follows a similar pattern as in other animals, including mice and flies and relies on many of the same genome structural proteins for proper formation.

However, unlike in other organisms, TAD structures in the western clawed frog undergo further remodelling during the later stages of embryo development, and show differences across tissues, including in the brain, liver and sperm.

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References

1. Nature Genetics 53, 1075–1087 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s41588-021-00878-z