Analysis of Cell Cycle and DNA Compaction Dependent Subnuclear Distribution of Histone Marks

In eukaryotes, the organization of DNA wrapped around histones regulates DNA-dependent processes. Changes in epigenetic modifications modulate the compaction of DNA into chromatin and, thus, regulate DNA metabolism in time and space. Hence, to catalog the spatiotemporal epigenetic information and its relation to the dynamic nuclear landscape is of paramount importance. Here, we present a method, based on FiJi and the statistical image analysis tool nucim(R), to classify in 3D the nuclear DNA compaction in single interphase cells. We, furthermore, mapped the distribution of (epi)genetic marks and nuclear proteins/processes to the compaction classes along with their dynamics over the cell cycle. These techniques allow to catalog and quantify the dynamic changes in the epigenome in space and time and in single cells.