Scientists Unveil First Body-wide Single-cell Genome Map
Researchers have published the first body-wide single-cell atlas mapping two major epigenetic systems: DNA methylation and 3D genome folding. This study provides new insights into how the same DNA code produces diverse cell types throughout the human body.
Why it matters
Understanding the epigenome is critical for advancing precision medicine and treating diseases linked to gene expression errors.
LA JOLLA (July 23, 2026) - Every cell in the human body carries the same three billion letters of DNA, yet a neuron, a heart muscle cell, and a pancreatic beta cell each use that shared code to do entirely different jobs. How cells pull off this trick comes down to epigenetics - chemical tags and three-dimensional structures that govern which genes are active and which stay silent.
In a study published in Science on July 23, 2026, researchers at the Salk Institute and Arc Institute and their collaborators unveiled the first body-wide single-cell atlas of two major epigenetic systems: three-dimensional genome folding and DNA methylation - precise patterns of methyl chemical groups tacked onto DNA - measured simultaneously in the same cells.
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