The Study of Chromatin and Chromosome Structures

Dear Colleagues, 

The spatial and temporal organization of chromatin and chromosomes underpins the regulation of essential cellular processes, including DNA replication, repair, transcription, and chromosome segregation. Advances in experimental techniques, from high-resolution microscopy and single-molecule approaches to chromosome conformation capture and biophysical modeling, have revolutionized our ability to probe chromatin architecture at multiple scales. These discoveries have revealed that chromatin is a dynamic structure shaped by histone modifications, chromatin remodelers, non-coding RNAs, and nuclear compartments, with direct implications for genome stability, cell fate, and disease.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for original research and comprehensive reviews that explore the structural and functional organization of chromatin and chromosomes, integrating insights from biophysics, cell biology, structural biology, and computational modeling. We welcome contributions that deepen our understanding of chromatin dynamics in both physiological and pathological contexts.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Chromatin folding and higher-order chromosome architecture;
• Biophysical principles of nucleosome positioning and remodeling;
• Dynamics of chromatin modifications and their structural consequences;
• Phase separation and condensates in chromatin organization;
• Mechanisms of heterochromatin and euchromatin regulation;
• Structural basis of replication stress and DNA repair in chromatin context;
• Single-molecule and super-resolution studies of chromatin fibers;
• Chromatin loop formation, TADs, and genome compartmentalization;
• Computational and theoretical models of chromatin and chromosome organization;
• Chromatin alterations in cancer, developmental disorders, and aging.

Dr. Nitika Taneja
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biophysica is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• chromatin structure
• chromosome architecture
• nucleosome dynamics
• heterochromatin
• euchromatin
• phase separation
• replication stress
• DNA repair
• chromatin remodelers
• epigenetics
• chromosome conformation capture
• genome stability
• single-molecule biophysics
• super-resolution microscopy
• computational modeling