Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Single-Molecule Imaging of Nuclear Transport
Published on: June 9, 2010
From snapshots to moving pictures: new perspectives on nuclear organization
1University of Geneva, Dept. of Molecular Biology, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, CH-1211 4, Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The positioning of chromosomal domains in the interphase nucleus is proposed to facilitate gene regulation in simple cells such as yeasts and to coordinate patterns of gene expression and activation of origins of replication during cell differentiation in complex organisms. Over the past 10-12 years, detailed information on the organization of interphase chromosomes has accumulated from three-dimensional microscopy of fixed cells labeled by in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence techniques. Recently, time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of GFP-tagged domains has shown that interphase chromatin can be highly dynamic, moving distances >0.5 microm within seconds. Novel fluorescence techniques show that most nuclear proteins are also highly mobile. Both the rapid oscillations of chromatin and long-range movements of chromosomes suggest new mechanisms for spatial and temporal control of transcription and other nuclear events.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Structure
Directionality of Nuclear Transport
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin
Atomic nuclei have a net nuclear spin, , which can have an integer or half-integer value. In atomic nuclei, the spins of protons are paired against each other but not with neutrons, and vice versa. Consequently, an even number of protons does not contribute to...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming
Atomic Nuclei: Types of Nuclear Relaxation
In spin–lattice or longitudinal relaxation, the excited spins exchange energy with the surrounding lattice as they return to the lower energy level. Among several mechanisms that contribute to spin–lattice relaxation, magnetic dipolar interactions are significant. Here, the excited nucleus transfers energy to a nearby...

