Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Stability

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together in the...

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission

Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion

The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process called fusion. The principal source of energy in the sun is a net fusion reaction in which four hydrogen nuclei fuse and ultimately produce one helium nucleus and two positrons.
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...

Nuclear Binding Energy

Nuclear Binding Energy

The difference between the calculated and experimentally measured masses is known as the mass defect of the atom. In the case of helium-4, the mass defect indicates a “loss” in mass of 4.0331 amu – 4.0026 amu = 0.0305 amu. The loss in mass accompanying the formation of an atom from protons, neutrons, and electrons is due to the conversion of that mass into energy that is evolved as the atom forms. The nuclear binding energy is the energy produced when the atoms’ nucleons are bound together;...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Pushing the envelope - How the genome interacts with the nuclear envelope in health and disease.

Advances in protein chemistry and structural biology·2025

Same author

Editorial: Gastropoda immunity and host-pathogen interactions.

Frontiers in immunology·2024

Same author

Editorial: Is aberrant genome organization a cause or consequence of specific diseases?

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2023

Same author

3D genome organization.

Scientific reports·2022

Same author

Alterations to Genome Organisation in Stem Cells, Their Differentiation and Associated Diseases.

Results and problems in cell differentiation·2022

Same author

Microgravity and space radiation inhibit autophagy in human capillary endothelial cells, through either opposite or synergistic effects on specific molecular pathways.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

Exploring the effects of a dysfunctional nuclear matrix.

Lauren S Elcock¹, Joanna M Bridger

¹Laboratory of Nuclear and Genomic Health, Centre for Cell and Chromosome Biology, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK.

Biochemical Society Transactions

|November 22, 2008

Summary

The nuclear matrix, a filament network, is gaining acceptance as a key platform for nuclear activities like transcription and DNA repair. Mutations in associated proteins like lamins and emerin impact these crucial nuclear functions.

More Related Videos

Combining 3D Magnetic Force Actuator and Multi-Functional Fluorescence Imaging to Study Nucleus Mechanobiology

Combining 3D Magnetic Force Actuator and Multi-Functional Fluorescence Imaging to Study Nucleus Mechanobiology

Published on: July 5, 2022

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton

Published on: July 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

Combining 3D Magnetic Force Actuator and Multi-Functional Fluorescence Imaging to Study Nucleus Mechanobiology

Combining 3D Magnetic Force Actuator and Multi-Functional Fluorescence Imaging to Study Nucleus Mechanobiology

Published on: July 5, 2022

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton

Published on: July 29, 2018

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

The nuclear matrix, a nuclear substructure, has been historically debated due to artifact concerns from experimental procedures.
Emerging evidence from milder techniques supports its existence as a stable network of nuclear filaments.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the nuclear matrix, including its components and functional roles.
To discuss the consequences of disease-associated mutations in emerin and lamin proteins on nuclear processes mediated by the nuclear matrix.

Main Methods:

Literature review of experimental techniques for nuclear matrix visualization.
Analysis of the role of nuclear matrix components (lamins, emerin) in nuclear functions.
Discussion of mutation impacts on nuclear matrix-associated activities.

Main Results:

The nuclear matrix is increasingly accepted as a permanent filament network crucial for nuclear activities.
Key components include A- and B-type lamins and emerin, often misclassified as solely nuclear envelope proteins.
Mutations in emerin and lamins disrupt the nuclear matrix's regulatory functions in transcription and DNA repair.

Conclusions:

The nuclear matrix is a vital structural and functional component of the nucleus.
Understanding its role and the impact of associated protein mutations is critical for comprehending nuclear regulation and disease pathogenesis.