Single-cell atlas maps how DNA folds across the body
Every cell in your body carries the same DNA, but folds it differently. That folding determines which genes are switched on or off. A new study maps this for the first time at large scale, cell by cell.
Researchers published in the journal Science a comprehensive atlas of three-dimensional genome organisation in human body cells, combined with data on DNA methylation (chemical tags on DNA that regulate gene activity). Critically, this was done at the level of individual cells rather than averages across tissue samples.
The study shows how cell type, DNA methylation and the spatial organisation of the genome together shape how a cell behaves. Each cell type, from neurons to liver cells, has a distinct three-dimensional profile. That profile is not random: it correlates with which genes are active and which are silenced.
Why this matters for aging research
As cells age, their methylation patterns shift. This is the foundation of biological aging clocks, which estimate biological age from those chemical tags. But how the three-dimensional structure of the cell nucleus changes during aging has been far less well mapped until now. This atlas makes it possible to track those changes cell by cell, rather than working with averages across tissue types.
That matters because aging is not uniform. Some cells within a tissue age faster than their neighbours. By measuring spatial structure and methylation simultaneously, researchers may be better placed to understand why some cells dysfunction while others nearby remain healthy.
A reference map for future therapies
The atlas itself is not a treatment, but a reference tool. Future research can use it to identify which cell types are most vulnerable to aging-related changes in DNA organisation. That could eventually support more targeted therapies, ones aimed at specific cell types rather than the whole body. The study appeared in Science in July 2026.
Search terms to explore further: single-cell 3D genomics | DNA methylation cell-type specificity | chromatin organisation aging