Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Isolation of Cardiomyocyte Nuclei from Post-mortem Tissue
Published on: July 10, 2012
Do different nuclei in a binucleated cardiomyocyte have different rates of nuclear protein import?
Marketa Hlavackova1, Elissavet Kardami2, Robert Fandrich2
1Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Albrechtsen Research Centre, St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Abstract:
The functional significance of having two nuclei in a cell is unknown. Having two stores of genetic material may be advantageous for cell growth. Nuclear protein import is at a critical juncture in the cell to modify cell growth. This study addressed the potential for differential nuclear protein import in two nuclei of the same cell. Isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes were microinjected with an exogenous fluorescent protein conjugated with nuclear localization amino acid sequences to facilitate nuclear import and its detection. Our results demonstrate the rate of nuclear protein import was not significantly different between the two nuclei in the same cell. These data demonstrate that the two nuclei are functionally similar in a binucleated cardiomyocyte, at least as far as nucleocytoplasmic transport is concerned.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Nuclear Localization Signals and Import
Protein Import into the Peroxisomes
Peroxisomal Protein Import:
Peroxisomes lack the genetic machinery required to code for their own proteins. Hence, most peroxisomal membrane, lumenal and transmembrane proteins are synthesized in the cytoplasm or ER and transported to the peroxisome...
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: 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...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

