Chromosome Territories, Interchromatin Domain Compartment, and Nuclear Matrix: An Integrated View of the Functional Nuclear Architecture

作者：Thomas John Cremer, Gregor Kreth, Helmut Joachim Koester, R Fink, Rainer Heintzmann, Marion Cremer, Irina V. Solovei, Daniele Zink, Christoph G. Cremer · 发表于：Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression · 年份：2000 · DOI：10.1615/critreveukargeneexpr.v10.i2.60 · 被引用次数：290 · 研究领域：Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques、Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics、DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry

Advances in the specific fluorescent labeling of chromatin in fixed and living human cells in combination with three-dimensional (3D) and 4D (space plus time) fluorescence microscopy and image analysis have opened the way for detailed studies of the dynamic, higher-order architecture of chromatin in the human cell nucleus and its potential role in gene regulation. Several features of this architecture are now well established: 1. Chromosomes occupy distinct territories in the cell nucleus with preferred nuclear locations, although there is no evidence of a rigid suprachromosomal order. 2. Chromosome territories (CTs) in turn contain distinct chromosome arm domains and smaller chromatin foci or domains with diameters of some 300 to 800 nm and a DNA content in the order of 1 Mbp. 3. Gene-dense, early-replicating and gene-poor, middle-to-late-replicating chromatin domains exhibit different higher-order nuclear patterns that persist through all stages of interphase. In mitotic chromosomes early replicating chromatin domains give rise to Giemsa light bands, whereas middle-to-late-replicating domains form Giemsa dark bands and C-bands. In an attempt to integrate these experimental data into a unified view of the functional nuclear architecture, we present a model of a modular and dynamic chromosome territory (CT) organization. We propose that basically three nuclear compartments exist, an "open" higher-order chromatin compartment with chromatin domains containing active genes, a "c...