![]() |
6th ESACP Congress, Heidelberg, April 7-11, 1999 |
A018
The interphase nucleus is the most prominent organelle in the eukaryotic
cell. It harbors the genetic information and all machineries involved in
handling it, including the systems for gene silencing and activation,
transcription, RNA processing and transport, and DNA replication and
repair. Although many of these processes are understood quite well at the
molecular level, the nuclear context in which they function is still
largely unexplored. Although no direct proof is available yet, it is very
likely that nuclear structure is highly significant for control of genomic
activity.
In this lecture I will discuss emerging principles of nuclear
organization. A prominent aspect of nuclear organization is its
compartmentalization. The classical compartment is the nucleolus, which is
dedicated to transcription of rRNA genes and the assembly of ribosomes.
Recent evidence shows that many more compartments exist that seem to serve
specific classes of genes. Chromosome territories constitute another type
of nuclear compartment. Each territory is occupied by one chromosome only
and does not seem to be intruded by other chromosomes. The relationship
between chromosome territories and the spatial distribution of
transcription sites will be discussed.
NUCLEAR ORGANIZATION
van Driel R
EC Slater Institut, BioCentrum Amsterdam, University of
Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands