CUT&RUN as a Powerful Tool for Chromatin Profiling: A Focus on Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Proper regulation of gene expression involves a complex array of crosstalk between chromatin remodeling, histone and DNA modifications, and transcription factors. Dysregulation of these processes is implicated in a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions. Methods to interrogate transcription factors and epigenomic profiles have revolutionized our ability to study molecular mechanisms in the brain. However, as our understanding of this highly complex system has grown, so has the need for more sophisticated methodology to disentangle such multifaceted and cooperative mechanisms. In this review, we briefly introduce techniques to profile chromatin accessibility, transcription factor regulation, and epigenetic mechanisms, as well as a more recently emerging technique, CUT&RUN (cleavage under targets and release using nuclease), and its role in providing new insights into our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a focus on addiction and depression.