Higher order chromatin structure is emerging as an important regulator of gene expression. Although dynamic chromatin structures have been identified in the genome, the full scope of chromatin dynamics during mammalian development and lineage specification remains obscure. By mapping genome-wide chromatin interactions in human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and four hESC-derived lineages, we uncover extensive chromatin reorganization during lineage specification. We observe that while topological domain boundaries remain intact during differentiation, interactions both within and between domains change dramatically, altering 36% of active and inactive chromosomal “compartments” throughout the genome. By integrating chromatin interaction maps with haplotype-resolved epigenome and transcriptome datasets, we find widespread allelic bias in gene expression correlated with allele-biased chromatin states of linked promoters and distal enhancers. Our results therefore provide a global view of chromatin dynamics and a resource for studying long-range control of gene expression in distinct human cell lineages.

Boundless Bio, Inc. (BB), and serve as consultants. V.B. is a co-founder, and has equity interest in Boundless Bio, inc. (BB) and Digital Proteomics, LLC (DP), and receives income from DP. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California, San Diego in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. BB and DP were not involved in the research presented here. Data Availability. Whole genome-, RNA-, ATAC-, MNase-, ChIP-, PLAC-Seq data are deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (BioProject: PRJNA506071). The source data files of the pixel quantification of ATAC-see on metaphase chromosome spread images to create Extended Data Figure 7d are available on Figshare (

A large number of putative cis-regulatory sequences have been annotated in the human genome, but the genes they control remain poorly defined. To bridge this gap, we generate maps of longrange chromatin interactions centered on 18,943 well-annotated promoters for protein-coding genes in 27 human cell/tissue types. We use this information to infer the target genes of 70,329 candidate regulatory elements, and suggest potential regulatory function for 27,325 non-coding sequence variants associated with 2,117 physiological traits and diseases. Integrative analysis of these promoter-centered interactome maps reveals widespread enhancer-like promoters involved in gene regulation and common molecular pathways underlying distinct groups of human traits and diseases.