Transcription factor binding to regulatory DNA sequences controls the activity of cis-regulatory elements, which modulate gene expression programs that define cell phenotype. Assays for probing chromatin accessibility have enabled the discovery of cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors across different cell states and types that lead to functional changes in gene expression1. Concurrently, single cell genomic and transcriptomic methods have enabled unbiased de novo deconvolution of dynamic or diverse cellular populations2,3. Recently-developed assays for measuring chromatin accessibility within single cells4–6 promise to enable the identification of causative cis- and trans- regulators that bring about these diverse cellular phenotypes.
