Reviews & Analysis

H3K4me1 is enriched at active and primed enhancers. However, whether H3K4me1 controls or simply correlates with enhancer activity and function has remained unclear. Several recent reports, including two in Nature Genetics, provide major mechanistic and functional insights into the role of H3K4me1 at enhancers.

What allows bacteria, both pathogens and mutualists alike, to survive in close association with a eukaryotic host? A new study performed a large-scale comparative genomics analysis to identify novel genetic and genomic traits that are enriched in plant-associated bacterial taxa.

A new study illustrates the power of the human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) platform by studying hiPSC-derived sensory neurons from 107 individuals. In addition to identifying thousands of quantitative trait loci influencing gene expression, chromatin accessibility and RNA splicing, the work highlights several underappreciated challenges in the hiPSC field.

A new study reports genome-wide variation in 163 vervet monkeys from across their taxonomic and geographic ranges. The analysis suggests a complex history of admixture and identifies signals of repeated evolutionary selection, some of which may be linked to response to simian immunodeficiency virus.

The CRISPR–Cas9 system enables global screens of gene function with high sensitivity and specificity, but off-target effects have been reported for CRISPR guide RNAs targeting genes that are amplified at high copy number. A new study describes a computational approach to correct for this copy number effect, increasing the specificity of CRIPSR screens to identify essential genes.

A new analysis of cancer genomes identifies a decrease in the mutation burden of exons, but not introns, as compared to expectation. This difference can be explained by preferential recruitment of the DNA mismatch repair machinery to a protein modification that marks exons.

Human-derived tumor models are becoming popular in the context of personalized medicine, but a new study shows that these models could be less representative of primary tumors than previously thought, particularly when using late passages.

High-resolution maps of enhancer–promoter interactions in rare primary human T cell subsets and coronary artery smooth muscle cells link variants associated with autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases to target genes. This represents an important step forward for mapping genes involved in complex diseases.

Regulation of epigenetic factors through their recruitment to specific genomic regions is still poorly understood. A recent study demonstrates a global mechanism of tethering Polycomb group (PcG) proteins through sequence-specific DNA-binding factors.

The functional role of repetitive elements in mammalian genomes is still largely unexplored. A new study provides evidence that LINE-1 retrotransposons regulate chromatin dynamics and are essential for normal embryonic development in mice.

A new study uses a Hi-C technique to demonstrate that condensin has a major role in remodeling interphase chromatin into mitotic chromosomes. This study provides insight into the mechanism whereby a centimeters-long DNA molecule is folded into a micrometers-long rod-shaped chromosome.

Genetic and functional analyses of 120 mouse strains have identified a heart regeneration candidate gene that modulates the contractile sarcomeric apparatus. This gene, Tnni3k, controls the frequency of the mononuclear, diploid cardiomyocyte population, which affects cardiomyocyte proliferative potential after injury.

ERG overexpression in prostate cancers promotes the development of widespread changes in gene expression and chromatin landscapes, leading to redistribution of key transcription factors in prostate cancers positive for the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene. The overexpression of ERG is further assisted by the development of a super-enhancer in the ERG locus.

An innovative study analyzing genetic association across tree-structured routine healthcare data in the UK Biobank represents a new branch on a tree that is poised to grow rapidly and offer new kinds of insights on how genome variation relates to human health and disease. Indeed, this tree is likely to offer new kinds of insights into the very nature of human disease.

Wayne Powell and colleagues compare the different tools and approaches used by the plant breeding community versus the animal breeding community for crop and livestock improvement. They argue that the two disciplines can be united via adoption of genomic selection along with the exchange of resources and techniques between the two areas.

Jian Yang and colleagues explore the uses and abuses of heritability estimates derived from pedigrees and from GWAS SNPs and make recommendations for best practice in future applications of SNP-based heritability.

A new study reports molecular characterization of the GDF5 locus, which is associated with osteoarthritis risk and adult height in humans. This study provides evidence of positive selection for short stature at GDF5 in modern humans, as well as in archaic Neandertals and Denisovans.

DNA copy number represents an essential parameter in the dynamics of synthetic gene circuits but typically is not explicitly considered. A new study demonstrates how dynamic control of DNA copy number can serve as an effective strategy to program robust oscillations in gene expression circuits.

Severe allergic disease is common, and few monogenic causes of atopy have been described. A new study that convincingly links severe atopic dermatitis to heterozygous CARD11 mutations with dominant-interfering activity serves as a timely reminder that clinicians should consider the possibility of an underlying monogenic immune disorder when caring for patients suffering from severe allergic disease.

A study in this issue demonstrates that epigenome-modifying drugs used in cancer chemotherapy induce transcription from thousands of previously unannotated transcription start sites, most of which are derived from ancient endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). This work, coupled with previous related findings, suggests that induction of ERVs, rather than direct effects on specific genes, may have a central role in the cellular responses to such agents and, in turn, their therapeutic efficacy.