Lamond Angus I, Spector David L
Wellcome Trust Biocentre, Medical Sciences Institute/Wellcome Trust Biocentre Complex, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2003 Aug;4(8):605-12. doi: 10.1038/nrm1172.
Speckles are subnuclear structures that are enriched in pre-messenger RNA splicing factors and are located in the interchromatin regions of the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells. At the fluorescence-microscope level they appear as irregular, punctate structures, which vary in size and shape, and when examined by electron microscopy they are seen as clusters of interchromatin granules. Speckles are dynamic structures, and both their protein and RNA-protein components can cycle continuously between speckles and other nuclear locations, including active transcription sites. Studies on the composition, structure and behaviour of speckles have provided a model for understanding the functional compartmentalization of the nucleus and the organization of the gene-expression machinery.
核斑是富含前体信使RNA剪接因子的亚核结构，位于哺乳动物细胞核质的染色质间区域。在荧光显微镜下，它们表现为不规则的点状结构，大小和形状各异，通过电子显微镜观察，它们被视为染色质间颗粒簇。核斑是动态结构，其蛋白质和RNA-蛋白质成分都可以在核斑与其他核位置（包括活跃转录位点）之间持续循环。对核斑的组成、结构和行为的研究为理解细胞核的功能分区和基因表达机制的组织提供了一个模型。
