Spatial chromatin architecture and accessibility co-profiling of mammalian tissues.

Spatial-ATAC-Hi-C uncovers distinct 3D genome architecture and gene regulation in mammalian tissues, revealing tumor heterogeneity and oncogenic events in human brain cancers.

• Why it matters: Understanding how spatial genome organization influences cellular function and disease progression remains limited, hindering insights into tissue-specific gene regulation and tumor heterogeneity.
• What they did: The study developed Spatial-ATAC-Hi-C, a microfluidic platform that jointly profiles 3D genome structure and chromatin accessibility on tissue slides, applied to mouse and human brain samples.
• The result: This approach identified spatially resolved chromatin alterations and structural variations in tumors, enabling detailed insights into gene regulation, tumor heterogeneity, and potential therapeutic targets.