title: Construction of synthetic nucleoli and what it tells us about propagation of sub-nuclear domains through cell division.
abstract: The cell nucleus is functionally compartmentalized into numerous membraneless and dynamic, yet defined, bodies. The cell cycle inheritance of these nuclear bodies (NBs) is poorly understood at the molecular level. In higher eukaryotes, their propagation is challenged by cell division through an "open" mitosis, where the nuclear envelope disassembles along with most NBs. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved can be achieved using the engineering principles of synthetic biology to construct artificial NBs. Successful biogenesis of such synthetic NBs demonstrates knowledge of the basic mechanisms involved. Application of this approach to the nucleolus, a paradigm of nuclear organization, has highlighted a key role for mitotic bookmarking in the cell cycle propagation of NBs.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Chromosome Biology; School of Natural Sciences ; National University of Ireland ; Galway , Ireland.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grob
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McStay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058045:Artificial Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D002455:Cell Division; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D022003:Cell Nucleus Structures / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans
keywords: 1°, primary; 2°, secondary; CBs, Cajal bodies; CDK, cyclin-dependent kinase; DFC, dense fibrillar component; DJ, distal junction; FCs, fibrillar centers; GC, granular component; HLBs, histone locus bodies; HMG, high mobility group; IGS, intergenic spacers; NBs, nuclear bodies; NORs, nucleolar organizer regions; Nucleolar Organizer Region (NOR); PJ, proximal junction; PML, promyelocytic leukemia; PNBs, pre-nucleolar bodies; TFs, transcription factors; UBF; UBF, Upstream binding factor; XEn, Xenopus enhancer; cell cycle; mitotic bookmarking; neo-NOR; neonucleoli; nuclear bodies; nucleolus; pol, RNA polymerase; pre-rRNA, precursor rRNA; pseudo-NOR; rDNA, ribosomal genes; rRNA, ribosomal RNA; RNP, ribonucleoprotein; synthetic biology; t-UTPs, transcription U 3 proteins