Multiple parameters shape the 3D chromatin structure of single nuclei at the doc locus in Drosophila.

The spatial organization of chromatin at the scale of topologically associating domains (TADs) and below displays large cell-to-cell variations. Up until now, how this heterogeneity in chromatin conformation is shaped by chromatin condensation, TAD insulation, and transcription has remained mostly elusive. Here, we used Hi-M, a multiplexed DNA-FISH imaging technique providing developmental timing and transcriptional status, to show that the emergence of TADs at the ensemble level partially segregates the conformational space explored by single nuclei during the early development of Drosophila embryos. Surprisingly, a substantial fraction of nuclei display strong insulation even before TADs emerge. Moreover, active transcription within a TAD leads to minor changes to the local inter- and intra-TAD chromatin conformation in single nuclei and only weakly affects insulation to the neighboring TAD. Overall, our results indicate that multiple parameters contribute to shaping the chromatin architecture of single nuclei at the TAD scale. Here the authors applied their recently developed multiplexed DNA-FISH Hi-M method to dissect the sources of heterogeneity in topologically associating domain (TAD)-like organization during Drosophila embryogenesis. This single-nucleus analysis allows them to reveal that multiple parameters contribute to shaping the trace of the chromatin path from a single nucleus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]