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HuBMAP: Single-Cell Multiplex Chromatin and RNA Interactions in Aging Human Brain

The study employs the Multi-Nucleic Acid Interaction Mapping in Single Cell (MUSIC) technique to concurrently profile multiplex chromatin interactions, gene expression, and RNA-chromatin associations within individual nuclei, revealing dynamically organized chromatin complexes in human frontal cortex samples from elderly donors. The MUSIC technique allows for the exploration of chromatin architecture and transcription at cellular resolution in complex tissues. The study includes 14 human cortex tissues and employs MUSIC to delineate diverse cortical cell types and states, revealing that nuclei with fewer short-range chromatin interactions correlate with an "older" transcriptomic signature and Alzheimer's pathology. Additionally, the study elucidates that specific cell types, characterized by chromatin contacts between cis expression quantitative trait loci (cis eQTLs) and a promoter, are particularly susceptible to the regulatory impact of these cis eQTLs on target gene expression. Furthermore, the female cortical cells exhibit highly heterogeneous interactions between the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) non-coding RNA and Chromosome X, along with diverse spatial organizations of the X chromosomes. MUSIC presents a potent tool for exploring chromatin architecture and transcription at cellular resolution in complex tissues.