Visualizing chromatin dynamics in interphase nuclei

Abstract

Real-time fluorescence microscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for examining chromatin dynamics. The initial lesson is that much of the genome, particularly in yeast, is highly dynamic. Its movement within the interphase nucleus is correlated with metabolic activity. Nonetheless, the nucleus is an organelle with conserved rules of organization. Determining the distribution and regulation of mobile domains in interphase chromosomes, and characterizing sites of anchorage, will undoubtedly shed new light on the function of nuclear order.