Live imaging, identifying, and tracking single cells in complex populations in vivo and ex vivo

Advances in optical imaging technologies combined with the use of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins have enabled the visualization of stem cells over extensive periods of time in vivo and ex vivo. The generation of genetically encoded fluorescent protein reporters that are fused with subcellularly localized proteins, such as human histone H2B, has made it possible to direct fluorescent protein reporters to specific subcellular structures and identify single cells in complex populations. This facilitates the visualization of cellular behaviors such as division, movement, and apoptosis at a single-cell resolution and, in principle, allows the prospective and retrospective tracking towards determining the lineage of each cell.