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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
A Multilabel Single Molecule Localization Microscopy Protocol for Investigation of Chromatin in the Dense Nuclear Environment
Published on: June 5, 2026
Direct observation of nanomechanical properties of chromatin in living cells
Anthony H B de Vries1, Bea E Krenn, Roel van Driel
1Biophysical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Precise manipulation of nanometer-sized magnetic particles using magnetic tweezers has yielded insights into the rheology of the cell cytoplasm. We present first results using this approach to study the nanomechanics of the cell nucleus. Using a custom-designed micro-magnetic-tweezers instrument, we can achieve sufficiently high magnetic forces enabling the application and measurement of controlled distortion of the internal nuclear structure on the nanometer scale. We precisely measure the elasticity and viscosity inside the nucleus of living HeLa cells. The high value of the Young's modulus (Y = 2.5 x 10(2) Pa) measured relative to the cytoplasm is explained by a large-scale model for in vivo chromatin structure using a polymer network model.
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