Experience induces rapid nucleus-scale movements of chromatin.. Mus musculus

The interphase nucleus is functionally organized in active and repressed territories defining the transcriptional status of the cell. Dynamic chromatin movements at the scale of the nucleus are believed to support transcriptional alterations. Applying in vivo two-photon imaging in a novel transgenic mouse model allowing photolabeling of histones, we show that chromatin organization of neurons can undergo movements within minutes. Pharmacological manipulation of neuronal activity induces chromatin movement in an in vitro brain slice model. Furthermore, we show that a behavioral learning paradigm prompting changes in gene expression patterns in auditory cortex, induces chromatin movement in neurons in vivo. We propose that active chromatin movements at the nucleus scale act together with local gene-specific modifications to enable transcriptional plasticity at the time scales that could not be realized by passive diffusion. Together, our findings open a framework to chronically study chromatin dynamics at the nucleus-scale in a physiologically relevant context. Overall design: Examination of incubation of acute brain slices in a pharmacological cocktail