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Attachment of DNA to nucleolar and nuclear skeletal structures as visualized by Kleinschmidt molecular spreading
Author(s) -
Bureau J.,
Hubert J.,
Bouteille M.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
biology of the cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1768-322X
pISSN - 0248-4900
DOI - 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1986.tb00438.x
Subject(s) - nucleolus , biology , nuclear lamina , chromatin , dna , ribosomal dna , cell nucleus , nuclear dna , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , nuclear protein , genetics , nucleus , mitochondrial dna , phylogenetics , transcription factor
Co‐isolated residual nuclear shells and residual nucleoli from membrane‐depleted rat liver nuclei were spread according to Kleinschmidt's method. Comparison of the spread residual structures isolated from nuclear shells and spread pore complex‐lamina isolated from nuclear envelopes showed that these residual structures are morphologically identical. Furthermore, our nuclear shell isolation procedure allowed visualization of DNA strands bound to a granular component of the lamina. The fragmentation of nuclear shells allowed us to obtain well‐spread nucleolar remnants, in which we observed DNA strands anchored on a residual nucleolar network attached to the lamina. The different molecular features revealed by the spreading of residual nucleolar structures suggest that both non‐transcribing nucleolar DNA and active ribosomal genes are linked to the nucleolar network. Although the exact nature of this network remains to be defined, the results of the present study strongly suggest that the DNA molecules of the chromosomes bearing ribosomal genes have many sites of attachment to a non‐chromatin nucleolar network which can be referred to as a nucleolar skeletal complex.