Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2013 Apr;23(2):96-103. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2012.12.001. Epub 2013 Jan 9.
In eukaryotes, the genetic material is stored in the nucleus, which is enclosed in a double lipid bilayer, the nuclear envelope (NE). It protects the genome from physical stress and separates it from the rest of the cell. On top of this physical function, growing evidence shows that the nuclear periphery contributes to the 3D organization of the genome. In turn, tridimensional organization of chromatin in the nuclear space influences genome expression. Here we review recent findings on the function of this physical barrier in gene repression and latest models on how silent subnuclear compartments at the NE are built in yeast as well as in the nematode C. elegans and mammalian cells; trying to draw parallels between the three systems.
在真核生物中，遗传物质储存在细胞核内，细胞核被双层脂质膜（核膜）所包围。核膜保护基因组免受物理压力，并将其与细胞的其他部分隔离开来。除了这种物理功能外，越来越多的证据表明核周有助于基因组的三维组织。反过来，染色质在核空间中的三维组织又影响基因组的表达。在这里，我们回顾了近年来关于该物理屏障在基因抑制中的功能的发现，以及最新的模型，这些模型阐述了酵母以及线虫 C. elegans 和哺乳动物细胞中核周的沉默亚核区室是如何构建的；试图在这三个系统之间找到相似之处。
