Speaker
Description
The study of chromatin nanostructures in living cells is complex due to their constant motion. In this talk, I will introduce a novel correlation spectroscopy approach using interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy, which allows for the spatial mapping of chromatin configurations and dynamics in live, unlabeled cell nuclei. This innovative label-free method detects linear scattering signals from native chromatin, which fluctuate on a millisecond scale driven by thermal energy. These signals help infer the states of chromatin condensation. With iSCAT imaging, we can continuously monitor chromatin dynamics for over 15 hours, observing spontaneous variations and differences in compaction within interphase cells. We also detect changes in iSCAT signals following transcription inhibition, suggesting the capability of iSCAT to explore chromatin structures and dynamics related to transcriptional activities. This scattering-based microscopy is a significant advancement for dynamically visualizing chromatin nano-arrangements in live cells, offering insights into essential processes like stem cell differentiation, mechanotransduction, and DNA repair.
