Eukaryotic genomes are packaged into a 3-dimensional structure in the nucleus. Current methods for studying genome-wide structure are based on proximity ligation. However, this approach can fail to detect known structures, such as interactions with nuclear bodies, because these DNA regions can be too far apart to directly ligate. Accordingly, our overall understanding of genome organization remains incomplete. Here, we develop split-pool recognition of interactions by tag extension (SPRITE), a method that enables genome-wide detection of higher-order interactions within the nucleus. Using SPRITE, we recapitulate known structures identified by proximity ligation and identify additional interactions occurring across larger distances, including two hubs of inter-chromosomal interactions that are arranged around the nucleolus and nuclear speckles. We show that a substantial fraction of the genome exhibits preferential organization relative to these nuclear bodies. Our results generate a global model whereby nuclear bodies act as inter-chromosomal hubs that shape the overall packaging of DNA in the nucleus.

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Eukaryotic genomes are packaged into a 3-dimensional structure in the nucleus of each cell.There are currently two distinct views of genome organization that are derived from different technologies. The first view, derived from genome-wide proximity ligation methods (e.g. Hi-C), suggests that genome organization is largely organized around chromosomes. The second view, derived from in situ imaging, suggests a central role for nuclear bodies. Yet, because microscopy and proximity-ligation methods measure different aspects of genome organization, these two views remain poorly reconciled and our overall understanding of how genomic DNA is organized within the nucleus remains incomplete. Here, we develop Split-Pool Recognition of Interactions by Tag Extension (SPRITE), which moves away from proximity-ligation and enables genome-wide detection of higher-order DNA interactions within the nucleus. Using SPRITE, we recapitulate known genome structures identified by Hi-C and show that the contact frequencies measured by SPRITE strongly correlate with the 3-dimensional distances measured by microscopy. In addition to known structures, SPRITE identifies two major hubs of interchromosomal interactions that are spatially arranged around the nucleolus and nuclear speckles, respectively. We find that the majority of genomic regions exhibit preferential spatial association relative to one of these nuclear bodies, with regions that are highly transcribed by RNA Polymerase II organizing around nuclear speckles and transcriptionally inactive and centromereproximal regions organizing around the nucleolus. Together, our results reconcile the two distinct pictures of nuclear structure and demonstrate that nuclear bodies act as interchromosomal hubs that shape the overall 3-dimensional packaging of genomic DNA in the nucleus.

To identify novel regulators of non-muscle myosin II (NMII) we performed an image-based RNAi screen using stable Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells expressing EGFP-tagged regulatory light chain (RLC) of NMII and mCherry-Actin. We identified the Rab-specific GTPase-activating protein (GAP) RN-tre as necessary for the assembly of NMII RLC into contractile actin networks. Depletion of RN-tre led to a punctate NMII phenotype, similar to what is observed following depletion of proteins in the Rho1 pathway. Depletion of RN-tre also led to a decrease in active Rho1, and a decrease in phosphomyosin-positive cells by immunostaining while expression of constitutively active Rho or Rho-kinase (Rok) rescues the puncate phenotype. Functionally, RN-tre depletion led to an increase in actin retrograde flow rate and cellular contractility in S2 and S2R+ cells, respectively. Regulation of NMII by RN-tre is only partially dependent on its GAP activity as over-expression of constitutively active Rabs inactivated by RN-tre failed to alter NMII RLC localization, while a GAP-dead version of RN-tre partially restored phosphomyosin staining. Collectively, our results suggest that RN-tre plays an important regulatory role in NMII RLC distribution, phosphorylation, and function, likely through Rho1 signaling and putatively serving as a link between the secretion machinery and actomyosin contractility. [Media: see text] [Media: see text]

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