Figure 3. Long-range chromatin interactions can regulate origin activation and replication timing.

Cell type-specific transcription and/or chromatin-modifier complexes can bind both an origin of replication and a locus control region of a distant gene (dark red rectangle), modulating both the expression of a tissue-specific gene and replication initiation. Origin activation by distal interactions may enable local chromatin remodelling and the establishment of a more open chromatin configuration.