Transcription Factors Recruit the Cohesin Loader NIPBL to Promote Chromatin Looping and Long-range Gene Regulation

The cohesin complex is central to chromatin looping, but mechanisms by which these long-range chromatin interactions are formed and persist remain unclear. We demonstrate that interactions between a transcription factor and the cohesin loader NIPBL regulate enhancer-promoter looping and promote long-range gene regulation. Using mass-spectrometry, genome mapping, and single-molecule tracking methods, we demonstrate that NIPBL and cohesin regulate the dynamics and function of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Moreover, glucocorticoid treatment stabilizes NIPBL and cohesin interactions by promoting loop extrusion and chromatin looping. Patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia cells harboring cohesin mutations exhibit a reduced response to glucocorticoids (GCs), suggesting that the GR-NIPBL-cohesin interaction is defective in these patients, and they may be poor candidates for GC treatment. Overall design: We examined the long-range interactions mediated by GR and how NIPBL influences these structures