Visualization of Genomic Loci in Living Cells with BiFC-TALE

Tracking the dynamics of genomic loci is essential for understanding a variety of cellular processes. However, earlier methods have all suffered from a low signal-to-background ratio (SBR), mainly caused by the background fluorescence from diffuse full-length fluorescent proteins in the nucleus. We have developed a novel method (BiFC-TALE) for labeling and tracking genomic loci in live mammalian cells, combining bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and transcription activator–like effector (TALE) technologies. Since only the sequences-targeted BiFC fragments can be pulled together by TALE modules to recombine intact fluorescent proteins, the background fluorescence in the living nucleus can be largely reduced, which significantly improves SBR. Using telomere and centromere labeling as examples, this unit describes in detail the design and implementation of BiFC-TALE system. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.