Studying histone inheritance in different systems using imaging-based methods and perspectives

Abstract

Understanding cell identity is critically important in the fields of cell and developmental biology. During cell division, a mother cell duplicates the genetic material and cellular components to give rise to two daughter cells. While both cells receive the same genetic information, they can take on similar or different cell fates, resulting from a symmetric or asymmetric division. These fates can be modulated by epigenetic mechanisms that can alter gene expression without changing genetic information. Histone proteins, which wrap DNA into fundamental units of chromatin, are major carriers of epigenetic information and can directly influence gene expression and other cellular functions through their interactions with DNA. While it has been well studied how the genetic information is duplicated and segregated, how epigenetic information, such as histones, are inherited through cell division is still an area of investigation. Since canonical histone proteins are incorporated into chromatin during DNA replication and can be modified over time, it is important to study their inheritance within the context of the cell cycle. Here, we outline the biological basis of histone inheritance as well as the imaging-based experimental design that can be used to study this process. Furthermore, we discuss various studies that have investigated this phenomenon with the focus on asymmetrically dividing cells in different systems. This synopsis provides insight into histone inheritance within the context of the cell cycle, along with the technical methods and considerations that must be taken when studying this process in vivo.