The reformation of the NE (green) around chromatin (blue) is impaired (right) by the addition of pure DNA.

DNA calls for the return of the nuclear envelope (NE) after mitosis, according to Ulbert et al. (page 469). The abundance of DNA may thus be one reason why the NE reforms so quickly.

NE reformation occurs so quickly that breaking down the process in vivo has so far been impossible. Many scientists instead use in vitro reconstitution assays, which indicate that chromatin decondensation (as occurs at the end of mitosis) initiates the recruitment of vesicle populations to chromatin. In the new work, the authors aimed to identify membrane and chromatin components that mediate this recruitment and thus NE assembly.

The main component of chromatin is, of course, DNA. The group found that excess naked DNA prevented in vitro NE reformation by titrating vesicles away from...

The Rockefeller University Press
2006
The Rockefeller University Press
2006
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