Genome architecture and the role of transcription

During development or in response to environmental stimuli, eukaryotic genes change both their expression and position in 3D nuclear space. Then, is a gene transcribed because of its position, or is position determined by transcription? Are genes stochastically or deterministically engaged in transcription cycles? Recent results confirm that RNA polymerases and their transcription factors play central roles in genome organization, and that stochastic events can give rise to apparently deterministic expression. As is so often the case in biology, structure both determines function and is influenced by it.