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Spatial organization of the genome has important impacts on all aspects of chromosome biology, including transcription, replication, and DNA repair. Frequent interactions of some chromosome domains with specific nuclear compartments, such as the nucleolus, are now well documented using genome-scale methods. However, direct measurement of distance and interaction frequency between loci requires microscopic observation of specific genomic domains and the nucleolus, followed by image analysis to allow quantification. The fluorescent repressor operator system (FROS) is an invaluable method to fluorescently tag DNA sequences and investigate chromosome position and dynamics in living cells. This chapter describes a combination of methods to define motion and region of confinement of a locus relative to the nucleolus in cell's nucleus, from fluorescence acquisition to automated image analysis using two dedicated pipelines.

Nucleoli form around RNA polymerase I transcribed ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The direct electron microscopy observation of rRNA genes after nucleolar chromatin spreading (Miller's spreads) constitutes to date the only system to quantitatively assess transcription at a single molecule level. However, the spreading procedure is likely generating artifact and despite being informative, these spread rRNA genes are far from their in vivo situation. The integration of the structural characterization of spread rRNA genes in the three-dimensional (3D) organization of the nucleolus would represent an important scientific achievement. Here, we describe a correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) protocol allowing detection of tagged-Pol I by fluorescent microscopy and high-resolution imaging of the nucleolar ultrastructural context. This protocol can be implemented in laboratories equipped with conventional fluorescence and electron microscopes and does not require sophisticated "pipeline" for imaging.