The three-dimensional structure of chromosomes plays an important role in gene expression regulation and also influences the repair of radiation-induced DNA damage. Genomic aberrations that disrupt chromosome spatial domains can lead to diseases including cancer, but how the 3D genome structure responds to DNA damage is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the impact of DNA damage response and repair on 3D genome folding using Hi-C experiments on wild type cells and ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) patient cells. Fibroblasts, lymphoblasts, and ATM-deficient fibroblasts were irradiated with 5 Gy X-rays and Hi-C was performed after 30 minutes, 24 hours, or 5 days after irradiation. 3D genome changes after irradiation were cell type-specific, with lymphoblastoid cells generally showing more contact changes than irradiated fibroblasts. However, all tested repairproficient cell types exhibited an increased segregation of topologically associating domains (TADs). This TAD boundary strengthening after irradiation was not observed in ATM deficient fibroblasts and may indicate the presence of a mechanism to protect 3D genome structure integrity during DNA damage repair.2 Translocations, deletions, and other genomic aberrations that may follow DNA damage can lead to cancer by directly mutating genes or altering their regulation 7, 8 . Recently, it has become clear that the disruption of 3D genome domains can also be oncogenic 9 . Does the process of DNA repair protect the 3D folding of the genome as well as the linear DNA sequence? Certain cell types are considered to be more radiosensitive than others, but little is known about what contributes to their radiosensitivity. The possibility remains that cell type specific chromosome positioning, along with initial epigenetic chromatin and folding states can influence which translocations occur and how well DNA is able to repair after exposure to IR, helping to explain why certain cell types are more sensitive to radiation 8, 10,
11. Previous studies suggest that DNA repair efficiency may differ for heterochromatin and euchromatin 12,13 . Heterochromatic regions may be more mobile and move to DNA repair sites, where they decondense 14,15 . Condensation or decondensation of specific chromatin regions may not be determined by their preexisting histone modifications 14 , suggesting that other factors may contribute to changes in 3D genome structure after DNA damage. One previous study demonstrated spatial clustering of DSBs in active genes by inducing specific breaks and measuring their interactions with Capture Hi-C 16 . This suggests that changes in the structure of local genome domains may happen at a broader scale after IR. Additionally, CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) and cohesin have been shown to be early responders to DNA damage induced by IR 17,18,19,20 . These proteins have also been recently demonstrated to play significant roles in chromosome folding 21,22,23,24 , contributing to the formation of topologically associating domains (TADs). These genomic domains intera...