Serpentine: a flexible 2D binning method for differential Hi-C analysis

Abstract : Hi-C contact maps reflect the relative contact frequencies between pairs of genomic loci, quantified through deep sequencing. Differential analyses of these maps enable downstream biological interpretations. However, the multi-fractal nature of the chromatin polymer inside the cellular envelope results in contact frequency values spanning several orders of magnitude: contacts between loci pairs at large genomic distances are much sparser than closer pairs. The same is true for poorly-covered regions such as repeated sequences. Both distant and poorly covered regions translate into low signal-to-noise ratios. There is no clear consensus to address this limitation.