Do Chromatin Interaction Networks Radiate Pathogenic Contagion in the Genome?

It is being recognized that the eukaryotic genome physically interacts with itself via a complex network of long range chromatin interactions. While the insights to the underlying organizing principles are being worked out, an interesting and rather provocative theme which is emerging is that the genes can cross-talk to influence each others’ epigenetic states. If firmly established, this observation would endow a novel perspective to the genetic and epigenetic basis of disease development. In this letter, I discuss the present evidence and implications of long-range regulatory cross-talk among genes.