Intracellular manipulation of chromatin using magnetic nanoparticles.
Magnetic tweezers are widely used for manipulating small magnetic beads inside the cell cytoplasm in order to gain insight into the structural and mechanical properties of the cytoskeleton. Here we discuss the use of magnetic tweezers for the study of nuclear architecture and the mechanical properties of chromatin in living cells. A custom-built, dedicated micro magnetic tweezer set-up is described. We review progress that has been made in applying this technology for the study of chromatin structure and discuss its prospects for the in situ analysis of nuclear architecture and chromatin function.
Kanger
Johannes S
JS
Biophysical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI), University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands. j.s.kanger@utwente.nl
Subramaniam
Vinod
V
van Driel
Roel
R
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002843:Chromatin / Q000502:physiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008954:Models, Biological; D036103:Nanotechnology; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D012212:Rheology
D002843:Chromatin