A Dynamic Folded Hairpin Conformation Is Associated with ?-Globin Activation in Erythroid Cells (Cell Reports)

Chiariello et al. use polymer physics models to infer the 3D conformations of the murine ?-globin locus. In the transition from ESCs to erythroid cells, the locus rearranges from an inactive highly intermingled conformation to an active, hairpin-shaped structure, marked by cell-specific three-way contacts accurately predicted by the models.