The nucleus, in eukaryotic organisms, is the epitomy of form and function. Ongoing studies of nuclear architecture reveal the dynamic balance between the containment processes of vast amounts of genetic material (DNA), tightly condensed into chromatin bundles, and processes which expose regions of chromatin for genetic expression.
"Nucleic acid metabolism is architecturally organized in the eukaryotic nucleus. Nucleic acids, catalytic processes, and the metabolic machinery required are all structurally constrained to specific nuclear domains," explains Jeffrey Nickerson, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology. His studies into the spatial organization of nucleic acids and their metabolism centers on the identifying how the structural elements of the nuclear matrix architect the organization of RNA processing.
Similarly, Craig Peterson, Professor of Molecular Medicine, has sought "to determine how chromosome structure influences nuclear processes and to identify and characterize the cellular machines that contend with this structure." Utilizing many traditional biochemical characterization techniques, ultracentrifugation for example, as well as cytogenetic techniques, Peterson's work has extended from studies on chromatin remodeling in yeast, the process by which the condensed genetic material is made available for transcription, to studies of this process im mammalian systems
See Also
Jeffrey Nickerson
Craig Peterson
Publications