Non-coding loci without epigenomic signals can be essential for maintaining global chromatin organization and cell viability

The majority of the non-coding regions in the human genome do not harbor any annotated element and are even not marked with any epigenomic signal or protein binding. An understudied aspect of these regions is their possible roles in stabilizing the 3D chromatin organization. To illuminate their "structural importance", we chose to start with the non-coding regions forming many 3D contacts (referred to as hubs) and identified dozens of hubs essential for cell viability. Hi-C and single cell transcriptomic analyses showed that their deletion could significantly alter chromatin organization and impact gene expression located distal in the genome. This study revealed the 3D structural importance of non-coding loci that are not associated with any functional element, providing a new mechanistic understanding of the disease-associated genetic variations (GVs). Furthermore, our analyses also suggested a powerful approach to develop "one-drug-multiple-targets" therapeutics targeting the disease-specific non-coding regions.