Nucleation by rRNA Dictates the Precision of Nucleolus Assembly.

ABSTRACT: Membrane-less organelles are intracellular compartments specialized to carry out specific cellular functions. There is growing evidence supporting the possibility that such organelles form as a new phase, separating from cytoplasm or nucleoplasm. However, a main challenge to such phase separation models is that the initial assembly, or nucleation, of the new phase is typically a highly stochastic process and does not allow for the spatiotemporal precision observed in biological systems. Here, we investigate the initial assembly of the nucleolus, a membrane-less organelle involved in different cellular functions including ribosomal biogenesis. We demonstrate that the nucleolus formation is precisely timed in D. melanogaster embryos and follows the transcription of rRNA. We provide evidence

SUBMITTER: Falahati H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5866055 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature