title: Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy as a tool to study the nanoscale organization of chromosomes.
abstract: Chromatin organization spans a wide range of structural complexity. Substructures at the 10-200nm scale are poorly characterized, especially in living cells, due to the limitations of electron microscopy and standard optical microscopy. Recently developed super-resolution fluorescence microscopy methods represent an exciting opportunity to access those substructures, and recent progress with these techniques has yielded insights into chromatin organization at different condensation stages. Recent studies have focused on confronting the challenges that are specific to chromatin super-resolution imaging, such as the high packing density of mitotic chromosomes and difficulties in interpreting interphase chromatin images. Building on these first results and with ongoing rapid technical advances in super-resolution fluorescence imaging there is great potential to uncover new features with unprecedented detail.
authors.affiliation: EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Building, The King's Buildings, West Mains Rd, EH9 3JJ Edinburgh, UK. cristina.flors@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flors
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Earnshaw
mesh_terms: D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007399:Interphase; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006657:Histones