ATAC-seq on human pancreatic islets

We have studied the impact of T2D on open chromatin in human pancreatic islets. We used assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) to profile open chromatin in islets from T2D and non-diabetic donors. We identified ATAC-seq peaks representing open chromatin regions in islets of non-diabetic and diabetic donors. The majority of ATAC-seq peaks mapped near transcription start sites. Additionally, peaks were enriched in enhancer regions and in regions where islet-specific TFs bind. Islet ATAC-seq peaks overlap with SNPs associated with T2D and with additional SNPs in LD with known T2D SNPs. There was enrichment of open chromatin regions near highly expressed genes in human islets. Overall design: Maps of open chromatin in human pancreatic islets from non-diabetic donors and donors with type 2 diabetes were generated by using ATAC-seq