---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '21849'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: The development of complex tissues relies on the precise assignment of cell
    identity. At the molecular scale, this process depends on the deposition of epigenetic
    modifications—such as methylation—that are regulated by complex biochemical networks
    and occur at specific regions on the DNA and chromatin. Here we show that despite
    the complexity of epigenetic regulation, dynamical scaling and self-similarity
    of DNA methylation marks emerge in embryonic development. Drawing on single-cell
    multi-omics experiments, super-resolution microscopy and statistical physics,
    we demonstrate that these phenomena originate in dynamical feedback between DNA
    methylation and the formation of nanoscale dynamic chromatin aggregates. These
    nanoscale processes lead to genome-wide increase in DNA methylation marks following
    a power law and self-similar correlation functions. Using this framework, we identify
    methylation patterns that precede gene expression changes in embryonic symmetry
    breaking. Our work identifies linear sequencing measurements as a laboratory to
    study mesoscopic biophysical processes in vivo.
acknowledgement: We thank all members of the W.R. and S.R. laboratories, F. Piazza,
  B. D. Simons, and F. Jülicher for helpful discussions. We thank M. Ciarchi for providing
  annotations for the chromatin compartments. S.R. is a member of the Center for Nano
  Science (CeNS). This project has received funding from the European Research Council
  (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
  (grant agreement number 950349). Research in W.R.’s laboratory was supported by
  the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K010867/1), Wellcome
  (095645/Z/11/Z) and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s
  Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (EpiCell lineage 882798). F.O. received
  funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
  under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement number 101034413. Open access funding
  provided by Max Planck Society.
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Fabrizio
  full_name: Olmeda, Fabrizio
  id: 69dbf5fb-8a76-11ed-866b-fb486d8b5689
  last_name: Olmeda
- first_name: Tim
  full_name: Lohoff, Tim
  last_name: Lohoff
- first_name: Ioannis
  full_name: Kafetzopoulos, Ioannis
  last_name: Kafetzopoulos
- first_name: Stephen J.
  full_name: Clark, Stephen J.
  last_name: Clark
- first_name: Laura
  full_name: Benson, Laura
  last_name: Benson
- first_name: Fatima
  full_name: Santos, Fatima
  last_name: Santos
- first_name: Felix
  full_name: Krueger, Felix
  last_name: Krueger
- first_name: Simon
  full_name: Walker, Simon
  last_name: Walker
- first_name: Wolf
  full_name: Reik, Wolf
  last_name: Reik
- first_name: Steffen
  full_name: Rulands, Steffen
  last_name: Rulands
citation:
  ama: Olmeda F, Lohoff T, Kafetzopoulos I, et al. Scaling and self-similarity in
    the formation of the embryonic epigenome. <i>Nature Physics</i>. 2026. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x">10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x</a>
  apa: Olmeda, F., Lohoff, T., Kafetzopoulos, I., Clark, S. J., Benson, L., Santos,
    F., … Rulands, S. (2026). Scaling and self-similarity in the formation of the
    embryonic epigenome. <i>Nature Physics</i>. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x</a>
  chicago: Olmeda, Fabrizio, Tim Lohoff, Ioannis Kafetzopoulos, Stephen J. Clark,
    Laura Benson, Fatima Santos, Felix Krueger, Simon Walker, Wolf Reik, and Steffen
    Rulands. “Scaling and Self-Similarity in the Formation of the Embryonic Epigenome.”
    <i>Nature Physics</i>. Springer Nature, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x</a>.
  ieee: F. Olmeda <i>et al.</i>, “Scaling and self-similarity in the formation of
    the embryonic epigenome,” <i>Nature Physics</i>. Springer Nature, 2026.
  ista: Olmeda F, Lohoff T, Kafetzopoulos I, Clark SJ, Benson L, Santos F, Krueger
    F, Walker S, Reik W, Rulands S. 2026. Scaling and self-similarity in the formation
    of the embryonic epigenome. Nature Physics.
  mla: Olmeda, Fabrizio, et al. “Scaling and Self-Similarity in the Formation of the
    Embryonic Epigenome.” <i>Nature Physics</i>, Springer Nature, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x">10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x</a>.
  short: F. Olmeda, T. Lohoff, I. Kafetzopoulos, S.J. Clark, L. Benson, F. Santos,
    F. Krueger, S. Walker, W. Reik, S. Rulands, Nature Physics (2026).
date_created: 2026-05-10T22:02:16Z
date_published: 2026-04-29T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-05-11T06:22:47Z
day: '29'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: EdHa
doi: 10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x
ec_funded: 1
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03263-x
month: '04'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: fc2ed2f7-9c52-11eb-aca3-c01059dda49c
  call_identifier: H2020
  grant_number: '101034413'
  name: 'IST-BRIDGE: International postdoctoral program'
publication: Nature Physics
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1745-2481
  issn:
  - 1745-2473
publication_status: epub_ahead
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Scaling and self-similarity in the formation of the embryonic epigenome
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2026'
...