Live imaging of histone modification in plant cells

Abstract

Histone modification regulates genome-wide gene expression. The conventional methods including chromatin immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence microscopy require protein extraction and cell fixation. We established a live imaging method to analyze the histone modification levels in living plant cells. We used the fluorescent protein fused mintbody (modification specific intracellular antibody), which is a probe prepared based on an antibody against an acetylated amino acid of a histone. The mintbody in plant cells migrated inside and outside the nucleus and accumulated in the nucleus in proportion to the histone acetylation level.