Imaging translational and post-translational gene regulatory dynamics in living cells with antibody-based probes

摘要

Antibody derivatives, such as antibody fragments (Fab) and single-chain variable fragments (scFv), are now being used to image traditionally hard-to-see protein subpopulations, including nascent polypeptides being translated and post-translationally modified proteins. This has allowed researchers to directly image and quantify for the first time (1) translation initiation and elongation kinetics with single-transcript resolution and (2) the temporal ordering and kinetics of post-translational histone and RNA polymerase II modifications. Here we review these developments and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of live-cell imaging with antibody-based probes. Further development of these probes will increase their versatility and open up new avenues of research for dissecting complex gene regulatory dynamics.