Which are the roles of chromatin compartments in the eukaryotic nucleus?
The complexity in composition and function of the eukaryotic nucleus is achieved through its organization in specialized nuclear compartments. Chromosome conformation capture approaches have shown that interphase chromatin is partitioned into spatially segregated Mb-sized compartments and sub-Mb-sized topological domains. This compartmentalization is thought to facilitate the matching of genes and regulatory elements. Cohesin-based chromatin interactions enable regulated gene expression within preexisting architectural compartments. Therefore, concentrating proteins needed to perform different steps of RNA synthesis within specialized nuclear compartments is important in orchestrating events required for efficient gene expression.