Manipulating nuclear architecture

The eukaryotic genome is highly organized in the nucleus. Genes can be localized to specific nuclear compartments in a manner reflecting their activity. A plethora of recent reports has described multiple levels of chromosomal folding that can be related to gene-specific expression states. Here we discuss studies designed to probe the causal impact of genome organization on gene expression. The picture that emerges is that of a reciprocal relationship in which nuclear organization is not only shaped by gene expression states but also directly influences them.