3D-CLEM Reveals that a Major Portion of Mitotic Chromosomes Is Not Chromatin.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have revealed the importance of Ki-67 and the chromosome periphery in chromosome structure and segregation, but little is known about this elusive chromosome compartment. Here we used correlative light and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy, which we term 3D-CLEM, to model the entire mitotic chromosome complement at ultra-structural resolution. Prophase chromosomes exhibit a highly irregular surface appearance with a volume smaller than metaphase chromosomes. This may be because of the absence of the periphery, which associates with chromosomes only after nucleolar disassembly later in prophase. Indeed, the nucleolar volume almost entirely accounts for the extra volume found in metaphase chromosomes. Analysis of wild-type and Ki-67-depleted chromosomes reveals th

SUBMITTER: Booth DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5128728 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature