Mechanistic modeling of chromatin folding to understand function

This Perspective highlights recently developed computational models for studying chromosome organization, with a focus on how mechanistic modeling helps biologists to interpret the biological function behind the genome structures. Experimental approaches have been applied to address questions in understanding three-dimensional chromatin organization and function. As datasets increase in size and complexity, it becomes a challenge to reach a mechanistic interpretation of experimental results. Polymer simulations and mechanistic modeling have been applied to explain experimental observations and their links to different aspects of genome function. Here we provide a guide for biologists, explaining different simulation approaches and the contexts in which they have been used.