Contribution of nanotechnology to chromosome science

Following its recent rapid development, nanotechnology is now an effective tool in chromosome science and technology (Fukui and Ushiki 2007). It can be used effectively for both functional and structural studies of chromosomes, although its direct advantages have been shown mainly in structural studies. Thus, it is expected that nanotechnology will be extensively used in the field of chromosome structure. This review describes three of the most promising and effective nanotechnologies and related technology: super-resolution microscopy (in particular, three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy, 3D-SIM), focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Their applications in the elucidation of higher-order chromosome structure are presented and discussed based on the achievements already attained.