A qualitative and quantitative description of nuclear envelope structure in transgenic cultured tobacco BY2 cells

Abstract

The nucleus is an extremely important cellular organelle. Recent discoveries in sub nuclear organization and nuclear envelope architecture have reinforced the significance of the nucleus and provided additional insight into its diverse function. Nuclear structures described to date include grooves, invaginations, channels, and vesicles. All of these structures are coextensive with the nuclear envelope. Channels observed in plant cells were quantified. Their distributions suggest a non-random association with nucleoli. Plant nuclear channels are relatively stationary, but can move over extended periods of time. Wide-field fluorescence deconvolution microscopy, three-dimensional reconstruction, and computational techniques provide effective means for studying nuclear envelope architecture in transformed cultured tobacco BY2 cells.