The Nuclear Envelope
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, La Jolla, California 92037
- Correspondence: hetzer{at}salk.edu
Abstract
The nuclear envelope (NE) is a highly regulated membrane barrier that separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. It contains a large number of different proteins that have been implicated in chromatin organization and gene regulation. Although the nuclear membrane enables complex levels of gene expression, it also poses a challenge when it comes to cell division. To allow access of the mitotic spindle to chromatin, the nucleus of metazoans must completely disassemble during mitosis, generating the need to re-establish the nuclear compartment at the end of each cell division. Here, I summarize our current understanding of the dynamic remodeling of the NE during the cell cycle.
Footnotes
Editors: David Spector and Tom Misteli
Additional Perspectives on The Nucleus available at www.cshperspectives.org
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