Epigenome Alterations and 3D Chromatin Architecture Remodeling in Inflammatory Macrophage Activation under Diabetic Conditions

High glucose and TNF-α induce extensive 3D chromatin reorganization in human macrophages, activating inflammatory genes and disrupting metabolic and cell cycle gene regulation.

• Why it matters: Understanding how epigenetic and chromatin structural changes drive chronic inflammation in diabetes can reveal new therapeutic targets to mitigate complications.
• What they did: Using multi-omics approaches, the study profiled gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and 3D chromatin architecture in macrophages exposed to diabetic-like conditions, identifying dynamic remodeling of enhancer-promoter interactions.
• The result: The findings show that architectural changes promote inflammatory gene activation through regulatory hubs, and disrupting these interactions via CRISPR reduces chemokine expression, offering potential intervention strategies.