Genetics: Interpreting Hi-C Maps
Hi-C maps can be hard to understand. I make it more simple.
While Hi-C maps can be pleasing to look at, it can take time to learn how to read them. This article will focus on enabling one to interpret these data-rich figures. A summary of Hi-C is here, from another one of my articles.
“Cis-Trans Interaction Ratio”¹
Cis interactions are between genetic elements on the same chromosome, and trans interactions are between genetic factors on different chromosomes¹. Given how Hi-C matrices often plot chromosomes against one another, a signal that veers from the diagonal can be interpreted as interactions between different chromosomes¹. This measure is typically used to evaluate data quality¹. Background noise from random processes would affect cis and trans interactions, decreasing the ratio¹. An ideal ratio is between 0.40 and 0.60¹.
“Distance-Dependent Interaction Frequency”¹
