Tracing the Chromatin: From 3C to Live-Cell Imaging

Chromatin organization plays a key role in gene regulation throughout the cell cycle. Understanding the dynamics governing the accessibility of chromatin is crucial for insight into mechanisms of gene regulation, DNA replication, and cell division. Extensive research has been done to track chromatin dynamics to explain how cells function and how diseases develop, in the hope of this knowledge leading to future therapeutics utilizing proteins or drugs that modify the accessibility or expression of disease-related genes. Traditional methods for studying the movement of chromatin throughout the cell relied on cross-linking spatially adjacent sections or hybridizing fluorescent probes to chromosomal loci and then constructing dynamic models from the static data collected at different time points. While these traditional methods are fruitful in understanding fundamental aspects of chromatin organization, they are limited by their invasive sample preparation protocols and diffraction-limited microscope resolution. These limitations have been challenged by modern methods based on high- or super-resolution microscopy and specific labeling techniques derived from gene targeting tools. These modern methods are more sensitive and less invasive than traditional methods, therefore allowing researchers to track chromosomal organization, compactness, and even the distance or rate of chromatin domain movement in detail and real time. This review highlights a selection of recently developed methods of chromatin tracking and their applications in fixed and live cells.