Deep-Learning techniques to analyse chromosome interactions at single-cell level

Description of field of research:

The 3D genome organisation regulates gene expression by bringing distal regulatory elements, such as enhancers, to promoters in close spatial proximity. While many scientists have been working on cell-type specificity of gene regulation through transcriptomic sequencing, comprehensive investigation of cell-type specificity of 3D genome conformation patterns is still lacking. Recently, single-cell methods allow us to examine cell-type heterogeneity and profiling chromosome architecture at the single-cell level has been achieved using chromosome confirmation capture (Hi-C). However, unbiased and robust computational methods are urgently needed to study cell type-specific chromosome structural patterns and accurately identify local enhancer-promoter interactions at single-cell level.