We reconstituted bilayer nuclear membranes, multilayer membranes, and organelles from mixtures ofXenopus laevis egg extracts and demembranatedXenopus sperm nuclei. Varying proportions of the cytosolic and vesicular fr...We reconstituted bilayer nuclear membranes, multilayer membranes, and organelles from mixtures ofXenopus laevis egg extracts and demembranatedXenopus sperm nuclei. Varying proportions of the cytosolic and vesicular fractions from the eggs were used in the reconstitution mixtures. A cytosol：vesicle ratio of 10：1 promoted reassembly of the normal bilayer nuclear membrane with inserted nuclear pore complexes around the decondensed Xenopus sperm chromatin. A cytosol： vesicle ratio of 5：1 caused decondensed and dispersed sperm chromatin to be either surrounded by or divided by unusual multilayer membrane structures with inlaid pore complexes. A cytosol：vesicle ratio of 2.5：1 promoted reconstitution of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum networks, and Golgi apparatus. During reassembly of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, vesicular fragments of the corresponding organelles fused together and changed their shape to form flattened cistemae, which were then stacked one on top of another.展开更多
The nuclei assembled from exogenous DNA or chromatin in egg extracts resemble their in vivo counterparts in many aspects. However, the distribution pattern of DNA in these nuclei remains unknown. We introduced rDNA fr...The nuclei assembled from exogenous DNA or chromatin in egg extracts resemble their in vivo counterparts in many aspects. However, the distribution pattern of DNA in these nuclei remains unknown. We introduced rDNA from the macronuclei of Tetrabymena into Xenopus cellfree extracts to examine the association of specific DNA sequences with nuclear matrix (NM) in the nuclei assembled in vitro. Our previous works showed the 5’NTS (nontranscription sequences) of the rDNA specifically bind to the NM system in the macronuclei. We show now the rDNA could induce chromatin assembly and nuclear formation in Xenopus cell-free system. When we extracted the NM system and compared the binding affinity of different regions of rDNA with the NM system, we found that the 5’NTS still hold their binding affinity with insoluble structure of the assembled nuclei in the extracts of Xenopus eggs.展开更多
Incubation of dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii chromosomes in cytoplasmic extracts of unfertilized Xenopus laevis eggs resulted in chromosomes decondensation and recondensation, nuclear envelope assembly, and nucl...Incubation of dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii chromosomes in cytoplasmic extracts of unfertilized Xenopus laevis eggs resulted in chromosomes decondensation and recondensation, nuclear envelope assembly, and nuclear reconstitution.Dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii is a kind of primitive eukaryote which possesses numerous permanently condensed chromosomes and discontinuous double-layered nuclear membrane throughout the cell cycle. The assembled nuclei, being surrounded by a continuous double membrane containing nuclear pores and the uniformly dispersed chromatin fibers are morphologically distinguishable from that of Dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii. However, incubation of dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii chromosomes in the extracts from dinoflagellate Crythecodinillm cohnii cells does not induce nuclear reconstitution.展开更多
文摘We reconstituted bilayer nuclear membranes, multilayer membranes, and organelles from mixtures ofXenopus laevis egg extracts and demembranatedXenopus sperm nuclei. Varying proportions of the cytosolic and vesicular fractions from the eggs were used in the reconstitution mixtures. A cytosol：vesicle ratio of 10：1 promoted reassembly of the normal bilayer nuclear membrane with inserted nuclear pore complexes around the decondensed Xenopus sperm chromatin. A cytosol： vesicle ratio of 5：1 caused decondensed and dispersed sperm chromatin to be either surrounded by or divided by unusual multilayer membrane structures with inlaid pore complexes. A cytosol：vesicle ratio of 2.5：1 promoted reconstitution of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum networks, and Golgi apparatus. During reassembly of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, vesicular fragments of the corresponding organelles fused together and changed their shape to form flattened cistemae, which were then stacked one on top of another.
文摘The nuclei assembled from exogenous DNA or chromatin in egg extracts resemble their in vivo counterparts in many aspects. However, the distribution pattern of DNA in these nuclei remains unknown. We introduced rDNA from the macronuclei of Tetrabymena into Xenopus cellfree extracts to examine the association of specific DNA sequences with nuclear matrix (NM) in the nuclei assembled in vitro. Our previous works showed the 5’NTS (nontranscription sequences) of the rDNA specifically bind to the NM system in the macronuclei. We show now the rDNA could induce chromatin assembly and nuclear formation in Xenopus cell-free system. When we extracted the NM system and compared the binding affinity of different regions of rDNA with the NM system, we found that the 5’NTS still hold their binding affinity with insoluble structure of the assembled nuclei in the extracts of Xenopus eggs.
文摘Incubation of dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii chromosomes in cytoplasmic extracts of unfertilized Xenopus laevis eggs resulted in chromosomes decondensation and recondensation, nuclear envelope assembly, and nuclear reconstitution.Dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii is a kind of primitive eukaryote which possesses numerous permanently condensed chromosomes and discontinuous double-layered nuclear membrane throughout the cell cycle. The assembled nuclei, being surrounded by a continuous double membrane containing nuclear pores and the uniformly dispersed chromatin fibers are morphologically distinguishable from that of Dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii. However, incubation of dinoflagellate Crythecodinium cohnii chromosomes in the extracts from dinoflagellate Crythecodinillm cohnii cells does not induce nuclear reconstitution.
