ArticleChromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology2011
The fractal globule as a model of chromatin architecture in the cell.
Article in Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 249 papers.
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249 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Integrated MINFLUX tracking reveals two distinct chromatin dynamics classes across cell types.Nature structural & molecular biology · 2026Article
- Power-law penalties correct distance bias in single-cell co-accessibility and deep-learning chromatin interaction predictions.NAR genomics and bioinformatics · 2026Article
- Condensin loop extrusion properties, roadblocks, and role in homology search during recombination in S. cerevisiae.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
- The 3D genomics of lampbrush chromosomes highlights the role of active transcription in chromatin organization.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Architecture and regulation of nanoscale chromatin domains.Nature communications · 2026Review
- Image analysis tools for improved characterization of nuclear chromatin patterns by confocal fluorescence microscopy.European biophysics journal : EBJ · 2026Article
- An experimentally-informed polymer model reveals high resolution organization of genomic loci.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Conserved 3D genome reorganization during DNA repair.Life science alliance · 2026Review
- A data-driven chromatin model reveals spatial and dynamic features of genome organization.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Chromatin folding by the Polycomb group proteins and its elusive role in epigenetic repression.The FEBS journal · 2026Review
- Compaction of chromatin domains regulates target search times of proteins.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Geometrically Encoded Positioning of Introns, Intergenic Segments, and Exons in the Human Genome.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Linking Structure and Topology in Single-Chain Nanoparticles Using Simulations and Scattering Data.ACS polymers Au · 2025Article
- Dynamical properties of chromatin provide insights into key folding principles.Biophysical journal · 2025Article
- RETRACTED: Kinetic organization of the genome revealed by ultraresolution multiscale live imaging.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Nucleosome placement and polymer mechanics explain genomic contacts on 100 kb scales.Nucleic acids research · 2025Article
189 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Abstract
The fractal globule is a compact polymer state that emerges during polymer condensation as a result of topological constraints which prevent one region of the chain from passing across another one. This long-lived intermediate state was introduced in 1988 (Grosberg et al. 1988) and has not been observed in experiments or simulations until recently (Lieberman-Aiden et al. 2009). Recent characterization of human chromatin using a novel chromosome conformational capture technique brought the fractal globule into the spotlight as a structural model of human chromosome on the scale of up to 10 Mb (Lieberman-Aiden et al. 2009). Here, we present the concept of the fractal globule, comparing it to other states of a polymer and focusing on its properties relevant for the biophysics of chromatin. We then discuss properties of the fractal globule that make it an attractive model for chromatin organization inside a cell. Next, we connect the fractal globule to recent studies that emphasize topological constraints as a primary factor driving formation of chromosomal territories. We discuss how theoretical predictions, made on the basis of the fractal globule model, can be tested experimentally. Finally, we discuss whether fractal globule architecture can be relevant for chromatin packing in other organisms such as yeast and bacteria.
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