Capture Hi-C identifies the chromatin interactome of colorectal cancer risk loci

Multiple regulatory elements distant to their targets on the linear genome can influence the expression of a single gene through chromatin looping. Chromosome conformation capture implemented in Hi-C allows for genome-wide agnostic characterization of chromatin contacts. However, detection of functional enhancer-promoter interactions is precluded by its effective resolution that is determined by both restriction fragmentation and sensitivity of the experiment. Here we have developed a capture Hi-C (cHi-C) approach to allow an agnostic characterisation of these physical interactions on a genome-wide scale. Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with complex diseases often reside within regulatory elements and exert effects through long-range regulation of gene expression. Applying this cHi-C approach to 14 colorectal cancer risk loci has allowed us to identify key long-range chromatin interactions in cis and trans involving these loci.EGA study EGAS00001001085