Although glucocorticoids are widely used anti-inflammatory drugs, relevant mechanisms are unclear. In the study Oh KS et al., we monitored the epigenomic landscape of macrophages, and found that the gene-inducing activity of GR is crucial for boosting inhibitors of inflammatory factors. This cautions the idea that GR ligands selectively promoting trans-repression should improve therapeutic outcome. The 3D folding of a mammalian genome is cell-type specific and an important layer of gene regulation. In Portuguez AS et al, we report spatial clustering of adipogenic genes in cells undergoing adipogenesis. The results suggest stage-specific re-organization of genome architecture influenced by transcription factors which contribute to the establishment of the genetic program in mature fat cells. Nuclear architecture is largely non-random and is the product of many synergistic influences. In Sawyer IS et al., we propose that Cajal bodies contribute to the 3D structural organization of the nucleus by physically clustering target snRNA genes. In turn, this regulates spliceosomal component levels and shapes the transcriptome by regulating RNA splicing fidelity.
