Long-range DNA contacts: romance in the nucleus?

Recent studies show that genes far apart on the same chromosome or even on different chromosomes can come together in the nuclear space. It has been hypothesized that functionally related genes ‘kiss’ at transcription factories to coordinate their expression. Novel high-throughput methods, such as 4C technology, that study DNA interactions in an unbiased manner should uncover the generality of this romantic concept of nuclear architecture.