Aims & Scope
Core Research Domains
Chromatin Structure & Organization
- Nucleosome positioning and dynamics
- Chromatin remodeling complexes
- Higher-order chromatin architecture
- Nuclear organization and chromosome territories
- Chromatin accessibility mapping
- 3D genome organization (Hi-C, ChIA-PET)
Molecular mechanisms of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers in regulating nucleosome positioning during transcription initiation
Chromosome Dynamics & Segregation
- Centromere structure and function
- Kinetochore assembly and regulation
- Sister chromatid cohesion mechanisms
- Chromosome condensation pathways
- Spindle checkpoint signaling
- Telomere maintenance and replication
Biochemical characterization of cohesin loading factors and their role in establishing sister chromatid cohesion during S phase
Epigenetic Regulation
- DNA methylation patterns and enzymes
- Histone post-translational modifications
- Chromatin readers, writers, and erasers
- Non-coding RNA-mediated regulation
- Epigenetic inheritance mechanisms
- Environmental effects on chromatin states
Structural and functional analysis of histone methyltransferases and their substrate specificity in gene silencing
Genome Stability & DNA Repair
- DNA damage response pathways
- Homologous recombination mechanisms
- Non-homologous end joining
- Replication stress and fork protection
- Chromosomal rearrangements at molecular level
- Meiotic recombination and crossover formation
Molecular dissection of RAD51 filament dynamics during homology search and strand invasion in double-strand break repair
Secondary Focus Areas
Cytogenetic Technologies
Novel karyotyping methods, FISH techniques, chromosome painting, spectral karyotyping, and advanced imaging approaches for chromosome visualization and analysis
Comparative Genomics
Chromosome evolution across species, synteny analysis, karyotype evolution, sex chromosome differentiation, and phylogenetic approaches to understanding chromosomal changes
Chromosomal Basis of Disease
Molecular mechanisms of chromosomal abnormalities in genetic disorders, structural variation analysis, aneuploidy mechanisms, and chromosomal instability at the cellular level
Genome Engineering
CRISPR-based chromosome editing, synthetic chromosome construction, artificial chromosome development, and targeted chromosomal modifications for functional studies
Computational Chromosome Biology
Bioinformatic analysis of chromosome structure, machine learning for chromatin state prediction, AI-driven karyotype analysis, and computational modeling of chromosome dynamics
Transcriptional Regulation
Chromatin-mediated gene expression control, enhancer-promoter interactions, transcription factor binding in chromatin context, and RNA polymerase dynamics on chromosomes
Emerging Research Frontiers
Phase Separation in Chromatin
liquid-liquid phase separation mechanisms in chromosome organization, biomolecular condensates at chromosomal loci, and their role in gene regulation and DNA repair
Single-Cell Chromosome Analysis
Single-cell Hi-C, single-cell ATAC-seq, single-cell chromosome conformation analysis, and heterogeneity in chromatin states across cell populations
Chromosome Biology in Development
Chromatin dynamics during differentiation, epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms, X-chromosome inactivation at molecular level, and developmental chromosome remodeling
Extrachromosomal DNA
Molecular characterization of eccDNA formation, extrachromosomal circular DNA in gene amplification, and mechanisms of extrachromosomal element maintenance
Article Types & Priorities
Expedited Processing (10-14 days to first decision)
Regular Processing (21-28 days to first decision)
Requires Strong Justification
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
All submissions must follow appropriate reporting standards: ARRIVE for animal studies, MIQE for qPCR, MIAME for microarrays, and discipline-specific guidelines
Data Availability
Raw data must be deposited in public repositories (GEO, ArrayExpress, PDB, EMDB). Accession numbers required at submission. Code must be available on GitHub or Zenodo
Ethics Compliance
IRB/IACUC approval required for human/animal studies. Ethics statement mandatory. Consent documentation for human samples. Adherence to institutional guidelines
Preprint Policy
Preprints on bioRxiv, medRxiv, or arXiv are welcomed and do not affect consideration. Authors should disclose preprint DOI at submission
Reproducibility
Detailed methods required. Reagent identifiers (RRID) mandatory. Statistical analysis must include effect sizes, confidence intervals, and raw data availability
Image Integrity
Original, unprocessed images required. Any adjustments must be applied uniformly. Splicing, duplication, or manipulation results in immediate rejection
