The three-dimensional genome in zebrafish development

Abstract

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made toward understanding the three-dimensional (3D) organisation of genomes and the influence of genome organisation on gene regulation. Although 3D genome organisation probably plays a crucial role in embryo development, animal studies addressing the developmental roles of chromosome topology are only just starting to emerge. Zebrafish, an important model system for early development, have already contributed important advances in understanding the developmental consequences of perturbation in 3D genome organisation. Zebrafish have been used to determine the effects of mutations in proteins responsible for 3D genome organisation: cohesin and CTCF. In this review, we highlight research to date from zebrafish that has provided insight into how 3D genome organisation contributes to tissue-specific gene regulation and embryo development.