10/7 – Luís Amaral, Northwestern University
CBQB Seminar (in-person event)
October 7, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
MBRB 1017, Herman Auditorium (CBQB)
Address
900 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
Calendar
Download iCal FileThis is an in-person event in room MBRB 1017, Herman Auditorium on west campus (directions).
Speaker:
Luís Amaral, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics
Northwestern University
Title: The challenge of integrating the imaging and sequencing approaches to the study of genome organization
Abstract: Genome organization determines both gene regulation, the ability of cells sharing the same genome sequence to differentiate into different types, or how cancerous cells respond to chemotherapy. Genome organization is known to change dramatically during development (Ricci et al. 2015), and Backman and co-workers have demonstrated the importance of genome organization in chemoevasion (Frederick et al. 2025). Super-resolution microscopy methods such as STORM, enable the visualization of chromatin organization, revealing that DNA is not regularly packaged with nucleosomes. Instead, nucleosomes are assembled in groups of varying sizes, called “nucleosome clutches” (Ricci 2015). Striking as STORM images are, they do not provide information on which genes fall within each type of region. Hi-C is a high-throughput sequencing-based technique for the capture of chromatin conformation that measures the frequency at which two DNA fragments physically associate in three-dimensional space (Lieberman-Aiden 2009). Both imaging and sequencing support the hypothesis of alternating heterochromatic and euchromatic regions. However, the conceptual models derived from each of the approaches differ in significant ways. My lab’s preliminary results suggest that nearly all the significant information from Hi-C assays is contained within the diagonal values (Pillai 2026a). Off-diagonal values can be predicted with high accuracy using a simple statistical model. Using this model, it turns out that Hi-C data reveal a picture of chromatin organization that matches the conceptual picture derived from imaging (Pillai 2026b). Our findings can help overcome some of the controversies surrounding genome organization. In doing so, it will further our understanding of biological phenomena where chromatin organization plays a critical role.
Hosts: Dr. Beatriz Penalver Bernabe and Dr. Kevin Drew
This is a joint seminar with MCDB.
Date posted
Sep 22, 2026
Date updated
Sep 28, 2026