High-resolution promoter interaction analysis implicates genes involved in the activation of Type 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells in autoimmune disease risk.

ABSTRACT: Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are rare, tissue-resident innate lymphocytes that functionally mirror CD4+ T helper cell lineages but lack antigen receptors. Type 3 ILCs (ILC3s) are enriched in the gut, airways, and mucosal lymphoid tissues, where they regulate inflammation and promote barrier integrity. To define the regulatory architecture of primary human ILC3s, we map promoter-anchored chromosomal contacts using high-resolution, low-input Promoter Capture Hi-C (PCHi-C) in these cells alongside CD4+ T cells. By combining statistical detection with a PCHi-C-adapted Activity-by-Contact approach, we link promoters to distal regulatory elements, identifying hundreds of ILC3-specific contacts. We use these maps to connect genome-wide association study (GWAS) risk variants for Crohn's disease to

SUBMITTER: Malysheva V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12821085 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature