Genetic Variation in Type 1 Diabetes Reconfigures the 3D Chromatin Organization of T Cells and Alters Gene Expression (Immunity)

Fasolino and Goldman et al. generate high-resolution maps of linear and 3D genome organization in thymocytes of NOD mice, a model of type 1 diabetes, and reveal that diabetes risk-conferring loci coalesce enhancers and promoters of genes associated with T cell function, altering gene expression. Thus, genetic variation leads to altered chromatin architecture that may underlie autoimmune pathology, with implications for human disease.