New publication in "Cell Reports Methods"

New publication in "Cell Reports Methods"

Chromatin modifications set up a complex, locus-specific pattern that defines chromatin states and gene expression levels and has key roles in cellular differentiation, development and disease processes. In this publication in Cell Research Methods, we developed dual-color BiAD sensors that enable the locus-specific readout of epigenome modification in single, living cells by fluorescence microscopy. The sensors are able to detect the enrichment of H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 on the inactive X-chromosome at a defined locus. Moreover, they are able to capture dynamic signal changes, like the loss of DNA methylation at one defined genomic locus upon treatment of cells with DNMT1 inhibitors, or loss of H3K9me3 at the inactive X-chromosome after knock-down of the corresponding protein methyltransferases. In future, these sensors will have numerous applications in epigenetic research, cell biology, clinical epigenetics and in the medium term also in the investigation of development.