Aspects of Nuclear Structure and Function

Book excerpt: Aspects of Nuclear Structure and Function deals with various aspects of nuclear structure and function and covers topics ranging from the ultrastructure of the female gamete to the structure, biochemistry, and functions of the nuclear envelope. Banding patterns in chromosomes, histones and nonhistone proteins, and the transfer of genetic information in polytene cells are also discussed. This book is comprised of six chapters and begins by presenting a comparative view of some aspects of the ultrastructure of the vegetative (growth) aspects of oogenesis, with emphasis on microtubules, intercellular bridges of differentiating oocytes, and vitellogenesis as well as accessory structures of the egg envelope. The following chapters explore the structure, biochemistry, and functions of the nuclear envelope; banding patterns in chromosomes; chromosomal proteins (histones and nonhistone proteins); transfer of genetic information in polytene cells; and the intracellular biology of DNA polymerases in eukaryotic cells, their association with the nucleus, and how this association changes during the mitotic cell cycle. The relationship between eukaryotic DNA polymerases and DNA replication is also examined. This monograph should be a valuable resource for biochemists.