Hi-Compass: a depth-aware deep learning framework for predicting cell-type-specific 3D genome organization from single-cell to spatial resolution
Three-dimensional genome organization controls cell-type-specific gene expression through chromatin interactions, yet systematic analysis across diverse cellular contexts remains limited by experimental constraints. Here we present Hi-Compass, a depth-aware deep learning framework that predicts cell-type-specific chromatin organization using only chromatin accessibility data as cell-type-specific input. By dynamically accommodating variability in sequencing depth, Hi-Compass enables robust predictions across the full spectrum of data scales, from sparse single-cell to high-coverage bulk profiles. Benchmarking shows that Hi-Compass achieves superior concordance with experimental Hi-C data compared to existing methods, with particularly strong recovery of high-confidence chromatin loops. Applied to peripheral blood and embryonic heart datasets, Hi-Compass resolves cell-type-specific chromatin interactions and systematically links disease-associated variants to putative target genes. The framework further enables spatially resolved chromatin interaction prediction in hippocampal tissue and demonstrates cross-species applicability through fine-tuning to mouse systems. Hi-Compass expands the capacity to study three-dimensional genome regulation across biological scales and species.
Authors
- Nana Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8039-9626)
- Runtao Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9855-8819)
- Yuanchen Sun
- Hua-Jun Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-3095)
- Hao-Jie Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9357-5601)
- Ze-Yu Kuang
- Jia-Lu Zhou
- Fu-Ting Lai
- Wen-Jie Jiang
- Han-Wen Zhu
- An Liu
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CN)
- Peking University (CN)
- Chinese PLA General Hospital (CN)
- Peking University Cancer Hospital (CN)
- Ministry of Education (ET)
- Center for Life Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71877-z
- Primary Topic
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00