A guide for single-particle chromatin tracking in live cell nuclei

The emergence of labeling strategies and live cell imaging methods enables the imaging of chromatin in living cells at single digit nanometer resolution as well as milliseconds temporal resolution. These technical breakthroughs revolutionize our understanding of chromatin structure, dynamics and functions. Single molecule tracking algorithms are usually preferred to quantify the movement of these intranucleus elements to interpret the spatiotemporal evolution of the chromatin. In this review, we will first summarize the fluorescent labeling strategy of chromatin in live cells which will be followed by a systematic comparison of live cell imaging instrumentation. With the proper microscope, we will discuss the image analysis pipelines to extract the biophysical properties of the chromatin. Finally, we expect to give practical suggestions to broad biologists on how to select methods and link to the model properly according to different investigation purposes.

Automated summary

The emergence of labeling strategies and live cell imaging methods has revolutionized our understanding of chromatin structure, dynamics, and functions by enabling imaging at single digit nanometer resolution and milliseconds temporal resolution. This review summarizes the fluorescent labeling strategy of chromatin in live cells, compares live cell imaging instrumentation, and discusses image analysis pipelines to extract the biophysical properties of chromatin. Practical suggestions are also provided for selecting methods and linking them to models according to different investigation purposes.