Ιn vivo imaging of DNA-bound minichromosome maintenance complex in embryonic mouse cortex.

The recruitment of the minichromosome maintenance complex (MCM) on DNA replication origins is a critical process for faithful genome duplication termed licensing. Aberrant licensing has been associated with cancer and, recently, with neurodevelopmental diseases. Investigating MCM loading in complicated tissues, such as brain, remains challenging. Here, we describe an optimized approach for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of DNA-bound MCMs in the developing mouse cortex through direct imaging, offering an innovative insight into the research of origin licensing in vivo.